Myracrodruon urundeuva Fr. Allem. (Anacardiaceae) is the scientific designation of "aroeira-do-sertão", a tree well dispersed through the "Caatinga", the characteristic northeastern Brazil flora. Its trunk bark decoction is used to treat cutaneous affections, urinary and respiratory diseases and as a postpartum aseptic bath. This work reports the analyses of the essential oils from leaves of 62 specimens of "aroeira-do-sertão". Analyses by 1H nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry (GC-MS) of all oil samples permitted the characterization of all major components and, in consequence, the characterization of six different chemotypes of M. urundeuva, represented by the chemomarkers: myrcene, α-pinene, limonene, Δ3-carene, (Z) and (E)-β-ocimene.
Keywords:
Myracrodruon urundeuva; essential oil composition; chemotype marker monoterpenes; intraspecific variation
