Abstract

Valeriana wallichii DC. (Valerianaceae) is an important medicinal and aromatic plant species (MAPs) used in traditional, Ayurvedic, Unani and modern system of medicines. Valerian rhizomes used in herbal tea formulations for sleep aid due to sedative properties. Volatile oil used in perfumery, flavour, pharmaceutical and fragrance industries and insect repellent formulations. Over utilization threatened its status in natural habitat and sustainable use of species is recommended. Considering increased demand, experimental cultivation initiated at Bharsar, Uttarakhand (1900 m asl). Samples were collected from experimental cultivation trials (for yield) during the month of March 2022. Essential oil was extracted from freshly harvested samples using a Clevenger type apparatus and analyzed by GC/FID and GC/MS. Essential oil content was 0.46% on fresh weight basis. Patchouli alcohol (39.78%) was the major constituent of the essential oil and other important constituents were α-guaiene (9.29%), α-bulnesene (6.96%), seychellene (5.1%), α-patchoulene (3.29%), isovaleric acid (2.41%), α-santalene (1.90%), camphene 1.82%), etc. Variations in the composition of the essential oil may be attributed to factors related to the environment including temperature, relative humidity and photoperiod at cultivation sites along with genetic makeup of the species. This study opens new areas for cultivation, pharmacological and biological activities for the studied germplasm.

Keywords

Essential oil, Indian System of Medicine (ISM), MAPs, threatened plants, rhizomes, Valerianaceae

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