title: Volatile constituents of the dried leaves of Cassia angustifolia and C. acutifolia (Sennae folium).
abstract: The official drug Sennae folium (obtained from Cassia angustifolia and/or C. acutifolia) was found to contain small amounts of volatiles (0.047% based on dry weight) which were analyzed in detail by GC and GC/MS. More than 200 compounds could be detected, 122 of them were identified, representing about 90.7% of the peak area of the total mixture. The volatile constituents can be classified into monoterpenoids (8.8% for sample A and 34.6% for B), sesquiterpenoids (4.2% and 4.0%, respectively), phenylpropanoids (4.2%/15.2%), fatty acids and esters (54.3%/14.2%), and miscellaneous compounds (19.3%/22.7%). Apart from hexadecanoic acid which was strong in both samples (36.8%/9.7%), the occurrence of menthol, geranylacetone, and (E)-anethole is of interest.
authors.affiliation: Institut für Pharmazie, Abteilung Pharmazeutische Biologie, Bundesstr. 43, D-20146 Hamburg, Germany.
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Schultze
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Jahn
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Richter