A study on essential oil fractions of the Western Balkan endemic Sideritis romana L. subsp. purpurea (Tal. ex Benth.) Heywood collected in Montenegro is reported. The 24-h systematic steam distillation extraction procedure was performed. The gas chromatographic/mass spectrometric (GC/MS) analysis of the fractions showed γ-elemene and spathulenol as two main constituents, revealing a new chemotype of this plant species. Although varying in the content of these two main compounds, which makes the fractions quite different between each other, evaluation of the anti-Candida activity showed the lack of any significant efficacy.
Keywords: 24-h steam distillation; GC/MS; Sideritis romana L. subsp. purpurea (Tal. ex Benth.) Heywood; anti-Candida activity; essential oils; spathulenol; γ-elemene.