Chemical composition of chamomile essential oil cultivated with homeopathy

ABSTRACT

The use of homeopathy in the cultivation of medicinal plants promotes fluctuations in the production of secondary metabolites, but there is no scientific reference to its effect on the productivity and chemical composition of the essential oil. In this context, the effect of Phosphorus dynamizations on chamomile essential oil was investigated. The essential oil was obtained by hydrodistillation to determine the content, productivity and chemical composition (GC-FID and GC/MS). The application of Phosphorus promoted an increase in the content and productivity, as well as changes in the percentage of concentration of the majority compounds of the chamomile essential oil. This is the first research that addresses the effect of homeopathy on the productivity and chemical composition of chamomile essential oil. Therefore, Phosphorus dynamizations alter the chemical composition and increase the productivity of essential oil in chamomile, demonstrating to be a sustainable practice for increasing the production of essential oil in medicinal species.

KEYWORDS:

• Chamomilla recutita
• ultra-diluted solutions
• secondary metabolism
• PCA

Acknowledgments

The authors are grateful to CNPq (Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico, Brazil) for the research funding and the Doctoral Grant to the first author.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).