Analysis of the essential oil of artemisia absinthium in two harvest times

Artemisia absinthium, also known as wormwood, is used in traditional medicine as anti-parasitic and analgesic. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effect of four doses of mineral fertilization in two harvest times on the content and composition of the essential oils produced by A. absinthium. The tested doses of mineral fertilization were the following: without fertilization (D0); 50% of the recommended dose (D1); recommended dose (D2); and 150% of the recommended dose (D3). The plants were cultivated in 10 L pots kept in greenhouse. The samples for extracting the essential oils were collected at 60 and 125 days after transplantation (DAT). The essential oils were obtained by hydrodistillation using a Clevenger-type apparatus. Identification and relative percentage of the compounds in the essential oils were performed by GC-MS. The essential oils content varied from 0.04% to 0.41% w/w. The highest essential oil content obtained was 0.41% using the dose D3 at 120 DAT. Myrcene and Z-isocitral were the major constituents of essential oils. According to the results obtained, A. absinthium can be used as a source of myrcene, depending on the dosage of mineral fertilization used and the time of harvest.