Different possibilities of using Pelargonium roseum Willd. in dermatology

Pelargonium roseum Willd. belongs to the Geraniaceae family and its original habitat is the south-west of Africa. The first part of the study was focused on the cultivation of P. roseum in the town Tg Mureş within the period 2003–2006. The essential geranium oil was obtained through distillation of P. roseum leaves according to FR X. In the second phase of the study a GC-FID method for the quality analysis and a GC-MS method for the quantity analysis were used in tracking down the composition the essential oils.

As a result 61 components were revealed of which 43 were identified. The main component Citronellol (39.39–43.90%) is followed by geraniol (5.01–7.58%), linalool (3.16–4.60%), citronellyl formate (9.65–14.33%), geranyl formate (1.54–2.22%), and citronellyl n butyrate (1.01–1.54%). Then we analyzed the polyphenolic compounds in the alcoholic extract of stalks and leaves of P. roseum with a HPLC-MS method. The concentration of polyphenols in the non hydrolised extract of P. roseum leaves reaches values about three times bigger than those determined in its stalks: hyperosid (51.44 vs. 19.22µg/ml), isoquercetine (66.57 vs. 16.83µg/ml), ruthosid (19.55 vs. 8.92µg/ml), quercetol (13.14 vs. 3.29µg/ml), kaempferol (3.82 vs. 1.01µg/ml).

The study encourages research made in order to obtain products of dermatological utilization from parts of Pelargonium roseum, taking into account the presence of ruthosid herein having significant concentration values, as well as the content of citronellol (acting as bactericide) in the essential oil.