Endo-fenchyl acetate rich essential oil of Strobilanthes sessilis Nees inflorescence and its characterisation using GC, GC-MS, and NMR techniques.

Strobilanthes Blume is a genus in the family Acanthaceae, with many species endemic to the Indian subcontinent. Strobilanthes sessilis Nees is endemic to the southern Western Ghats of India. The essential oil of dried inflorescence of S. sessilis was extracted using hydrodistillation method and the chemical composition was determined using GC and GC-MS techniques, which revealed the major compound to be endo-fenchyl acetate (89.33%). Other minor compounds like endo-fenchol (3.74%), (E)-caryophyllene (1.07%), and limonene and β-phellandrene (0.55%) were also observed. The major diastereomer of fenchyl acetate was determined using 2D-NMR techniques like HSQC, HMBC, and ROESY to confirm the endo configuration. The optical rotation of the oil in different solvents deduced that the laevorotatory enantiomer of endo-fenchyl acetate as the major or single compound. S. sessilis could be further explored as a major source of endo-fenchyl acetate, which has high importance in flavouring and other biological applications.