Determination of essential oil variations of Thymbra spicata var. spicata L. naturally growing in the wild flora of East Mediterranean and Southeastern Anatolia regions of Turkey

Thymbra spicata var. spicata is an important medicinal and aromatic plant species growing wild in various parts of Turkey with high significance in pharmaceutical and food industry. It makes it important to know the factors affecting higher yields of essential oil and possible influence of its mineral elements on pharmacological characteristics. This study was carried out to determine variations among seeds, mineral element content of herbs, yield of essential oils and oil composition of T. spicata accessions collected from 30 different locations lying at an altitude of 121-1249m in Southeastern Anatolia and Mediterranean regions of Turkey. Essential oils from aerial parts of T. spicata were obtained by hydro-distillation and their components were identified by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry.