Progress in Essential Oils

Alaska Yellow Cedar Leaf Oil

On rare occasions, an oil of Alaskan cedar leaf (Chamaecyparis nootkatensis (D. Don) Spach.) is produced in North America and offered for sale commercially. A survey of the early literature reveals that the oil was thought to contain α-pinene, β-pinene, sabinene, limonene and p-cymene (Gildemeister and Hoffmann, 1956).

Cheng and von Rudloff (1970) compared the composition of Alaskan cedar leaf oil produced from the leaves of young trees grown in a greenhouse with oils produced from a 50–55-year-old tree and that of a commercial oil. All oils were produced by steam distillation, although the distillation times were not given. The results of this comparative study are shown in T-1. Trace amounts (<0.1%) of α-cubebene; α-copaene; p-cymen-8-ol; isoprenyl senecoate; pentadecane; prenyl tiglate or angelate; nonadecane, tetradecanal, cedrol, heneicosane, abieta-7,13-diene, dehydroabietadiene, pentacosane, 8,13-diepi- manoyl oxide and docosanal were also characterized in one or all of these oils.

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