Assessmentof phytochemical characteristics of two medicinal plants species, Ziziphora tenuir and Teucrium polium, collected from Sarbisheh region

Ziziphora tenuir and Teucrium polium belong to the Labiatae family. So far, 25 and 4 species of Ziziphora tenuir have been reported in the world and Iran, respectively, which are used for novel digestive disorders, common cold, depression, and migraine. A total of 200 species of Teucrium polium have been identified in the world, and 12 species exist in Iran. The historical use of this herb dates back to the time of Hippocrates and Galen. The present study aimed to investigate some of phytochemical characteristics of two medicinal species of Ziziphora tenuir and Teucrium polium in Sarbisheh region of South Khorasan Province.

In this in vitro study, the aerial parts of Ziziphora tenuir and Teucrium polium, including leaves, flowers, and flowering branches, were collected from the region at the end of July 2019, and after drying, the samples were distilled using a Clovnjer machine. The identification of the constitutive compounds of the obtained essential oils was performed using GC and GC/MS devices.

The main composition of the essential oil in Ziziphora tenuir in the study area was Pulegone, with 92.55%, including eight types of essential oil composition. The highest amount of effective substances was reported for phenol and antioxidant, while tannin and flavonoid had the lowest amount. 23 essential oil compounds, including Camphor (43.72) and Artemisia alcohol (18.61%) were identified as the highest amounts for Teucrium polium, while Cymene (0.42) and a-Thujone (0.24%) were reported as the lowest amounts. The effective ingredients of Teucrium polium, including Phenol and antioxidant, in contrast with flavonone and flavonoid, were respectively reported as the highest and lowest amounts.

The high amount of Phenol in both species indicated the inhibitory power and is related to the Terpinen compounds in the essential oil of both species. On the other hand, the lower the IC50 value, the higher the inhibition of free radicals and, as a result, the higher the antioxidant property.