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Abstract
Leaves of Cinnamomum malabatrum and C. sulphuratum, commonly found in the Western Ghats of India, are substituted/adulterated with commercial cinnamon (C. verum) and used as a spice, besides in indigenous medicines in southern India. To find the chemical variations in the leaf essential oils, fifteen accessions of three species (every five accessions) from different locations in southern India were collected. Essential oils were extracted and quantitatively and qualitatively analysed by GC-FID and GC-MS respectively. A total of 75 diverse volatile constituents were identified in 15 accessions. Linalool, (E)-caryophyllene and bicyclogermacrene were major constituents of C. malabatrum whereas Linalool, (E)-cinnamyl acetate and benzyl benzoate were principal constituents of C. sulphuratum. Eugenol, the key constituent of leaf essential oil of commercial cinnamon, was not present as a major constituent in both species. The study suggests that these species should not be substituted or adulterated with C. verum for commercial uses.