Essential oil of Litsea salicifolia Roxb. ex Wall : a new report from Assam, India

Litsea salicijolia Roxb. ex Wall. (Dighloti in Assamese) is a secondary food plant for the muga silkworm (Antheraea assama Ww.). Experiments conducted at the Regional Research Laboratory, Jorhat, Assam, India, indicated the presence ofan essential oil in the leaves of this plant species, which has not been reported on previously. Hydrodistillation ofthe green leaves in a Clevenger type apparatus gave a clear and sweet-scented oil with 0.45% to 0.55% yield. The composition of this essential oil was investigated by GC and GC/MS. Twenty-three constituents have been identified, accountingfor 99.9% ofthe oil. The major constituent appeared to be benzyl benzoate (76. 7%), which is responsiblefor the pleasantflavour ofthe oil. Predominant major constituents included tentatively identified I-phenylethyl benzoate (8.6%), beta-phellandrene (5.3%), I,8-cineole (1.5%) and (E)-beta-ocimene(1.4%).