Isofuranodiene is the main volatile constituent of Smyrnium perfoliatum L. subsp. perfoliatum growing in central Italy.

The essential oil hydrodistilled from the aerial parts of Smyrnium perfoliatum subsp. perfoliatum growing in central Italy was analysed by GC-MS. The main peak in the gas chromatogram was given by the furanosesquiterpene curzerene which is the Cope rearrangement product of isofuranodiene formed into injector and column during the gas chromatographic run. A truthful quantification of these compounds was achieved by HPLC-DAD analysis which showed that isofuranodiene is the main volatile component (180.0 mg/g eo) of S. perfoliatum subsp. perfoliatum, while curzerene occurs in small amounts (18.1 mg/g eo).