Antioxidant Activity and Chemical Composition ofRosmarinus officinalisL. Essential Oil from Iran

The aim of present study was to evaluation the antioxidant potential of Rosmarinus officinalis on the basis of the chemical compositions of oils obtained by hydrodistillation. Hydrodistilled volatile oils from the aerial parts of R.officinalis L. which gathered in Kermanshah province, Iran were investigated. Twenty components were identified in the oils. The main constituents of the essential oils in aerial parts were α-pinene (43.12 %), camphene (10.5 %), 1,8-cineole (10.02 %), camphor (8.07 %), linalool (8.09 %) and limonene (6.12 %). Other components were amounts less than 2 %. The samples were screened for their antioxidant activities using 2,2’-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical assay methods. 1,8-Cineole (11.01±0.41 µg/ ml) showed appreciable antioxidant activity in DPPH test. These results indicate that R. officinalis compounds might be applicable in natural medicine and healthy food.