Essential oils are odorous principles stored in special plant cells. The essential oil in the Hyptis genus is traditionally used as an anesthetic, antispasmodic, anti-inflammatory, and can induce abortion in high doses. The purpose of this work was to evaluate the influence of seasons in essential oil content and chemical composition of species H. marrubioides. A completely randomized complete design was used with four treatments (winter, spring, summer and autumn) and six replications, totaling 60 plants. The essential oil was obtained by hydrodistillation with a Clevenger apparatus. The qualitative analysis of the essential oil was performed by gas chromatography (GC/MS). In summer, plant leaves showed higher essential oil content. In the other seasons, essential oil content was similar. The major compounds in the essential oil were monoterpene α-thujone and β-thujone. The peak relative concentrations of β-thujone did not show considerable difference among the seasons. The oxygenate sesquiterpenoids (cedrol and caryophyllenol) and not oxygenate (α-copaene, α-caryophyllene, germacrene D and cadalene), were found in lower quantity in the essential oil; however, quantitative differences were observed over the seasons.
essential oils; seasonal evaluation; GC/MS
