[en] Essential oils of Mentha longifolia from Senegal were extracted from fresh plants and dried plants in the shade for 7 days. The yields were of 0.39 and 0.32% in the fresh and dried plants respectively. Analysis of the essential oils, floral waters and the assay of pulegone were carried out by GC/FID and GC/MS. The major compounds identified in the oils were pulegone (52.0 and 42.4%), menthone (14.3 and 21.2%), 1, 8-cineole (13.1 and 11.4%) and isomenthone (9.0 and 13.2%) in the fresh and dried plants, respectively. Analyses revealed that floral waters were also characterized by the same major compounds as essential oils but at different rates. In these floral waters, pulegone constituted 60.2 and 47.0%, 1,8- cineole 7.9 and 19.6%, isomenthone 7.2 and 10.7%, menthone 6.4 and 9.2%, chrysanthenone 6.4 and 3.2% and α-terpineol 3.0 and 2.7% in the fresh and dried plants, respectively. The assay results of
pulegone, a hepatotoxic compound, have shown very high levels (444.6 and 393.3mg/g) in both fresh and dried plants.
