Abstract
The essential oil isolated from the bark samples of Magnolia obovata THUNB. (Magnoliaceae) was examined. The oil contained α- and β-pinenes, camphene, limonene, bornyl acetate, caryophyllene, caryophyllene epoxide, α-, β-, and γ-eudesmols, and three unknown sesquiterpene hydrocarbons. Three eudesmols were main components of the oil. Eudesmols content in the oil increased as branches grew older and reached 87% of the oil in the branch 10 -15 years old. Chemo-type differing in the components of the oil was not observed in the samples collected in various districts in Japan. The commercial crude drugs, Wakoboku (bark of M. obovata) and Houpo (bark of M. officinalis or its variety) contained about 0.3% of essential oil and 94-98% of the oil consisted of α-, β- (main), and γ-eudesmols.
