Comparative Study of Chemical Composition and Biological Activities of the Essential Oils From <i>Artemisia indica</i> Willd and <i>Artemisia gmelinii</i> Weber ex Stechm

ABSTRACT Artemisia is a very vast genus of the family Asteraceae. It possesses both shrubs and perennial herbs. Here in our research, we are leading to the chemical constituents with their biological activity of two such Artemisia species, Artemisia indica Willd. and Artemisia gmelinii Weber ex Stechm. The chemical analysis of the plant essential oil by GC and GC–MS examination led to the characterisation of the essential oil. Artemisia indica Willd. is characterised by 36 components comprising different classes of compounds with 95.58% of the essential oil. On the other hand, A. gmelinii Weber ex Stechm. is characterised by 86.60% of the essential oil representing a distinct class of compounds. Artemisia indica Willd. shows a predominant presence of the following compounds: 1,8‐cineole (19.21%), camphor (15.70%), cis ‐chrysanthenol (13.50%), cis‐ sabinene hydrate (9.00%), β‐thujone (3.40%) and artemisia alcohol (3.70%) whereas A. gmelinii shows a dominant presence of 1,8‐cineole (14.97%), terpinen‐4‐ol (11.04%), ar‐curcumene (5.73%) and α‐zingiberene (5.05%). Thus, the chemical evaluation of both essential oils shows that 1,8‐cineole is a major constituent in both of the species, but A. indica also comprises other bioactive compounds along with 1,8‐cineole, such as camphor and cis ‐chrysanthenol. On the other hand, A. gmelinii also comprises terpinen‐4‐ol and ar‐curcumene. We evaluated the antioxidant activity (DPPH radical scavenging and hydrogen peroxide analysis radical scavenging activity) of both essential oils of Artemisia species. The resultsfound were positive. Further, the nematicidal activity of both essential oils was also performed against M. incognita , which revealed that A. indica Willd. and A. gmelinii weber ex Stechm both exhibited notable nematicidal activity. However, A. indica exhibited more potent nematicidal as well as antioxidant activity in comparison to A. gmelinii . To the best of our knowledge, this is the first‐ever report mentioned on the nematicidal activity of A. indica Willd. and A. gmelinii weber ex Stechm, mentioning their potential as natural alternatives for nematode management.