Fresh leaves of Actephila excelsa (Dazl.) Muell. from Vietnam were steam distilled to produce an oil in a yield of 0.15% (v/w). The essential oil was analyzed by a combination of capillary gas chromatography-flame ionization detection (GC-FID) and gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (GC/MS). The main constituents of the oil were the sesquiterpenes γ-elemene (25.7%) and β-caryophyllene (11.2%). Other significant compounds were methyl salicylate (5.8%), benzyl benzoate (5.2%), (E, E)-farnesylacetone (4.9%), anisole (4.7%), sabinene (4.1%) and menthone (4.0%). This is the first report on the volatile constituents of this plant.
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