ORIGINAL ARTICLE The article was published by Academy of Chemistry of Globe Publications www.acgpubs.org/RNP © Published 10/05/2010 EISSN:1307-6167 Rec. Nat. Prod. 4:4 (2010) 224-229 A Comparative Study on Turpentine Oils of Oleoresins of Pinus sylvestris L. from Three Districts of Denizli brahim Tümen 1* and Markku Reunanen 2 1 Department of Wood Chemistry, Faculty of Forestry, Bartin University, 74100, Bartin, Türkiye 2 Department of Wood and Paper Chemistry, Åbo Akademi University, 20500 Turku, Finland (Received July 27, 2010; Revised September 7, 2010; Accepted October 1, 2010) Abstract: Oleoresin samples collected from Pinus sylvestris L. trees from Acıpayam, Çal and Çamlıbel, three different locations in Denizli-Turkey. The constituents of the turpentine oil, obtained by hydrodistillation of oleoresin of Pinus sylvestris L., were identified by GC-MS. Fifty four constituents were detected from the turpentine oil, which constituted about between 96.2% and 98.2% of the total amount. Major constituents of the oil were α-pinene, β-pinene, camphene, longifolene, Δ 3 -carene, limonene and β-caryophyllene. Keywords: Oleoresin; turpentine; GC-MS; Pinus sylvestris; essential oil; α-pinene; β-pinene; -caryophyllene. 1. Introduction Named as the "spirits of turpentine", "pine tree terpenic", "pine oleoresin", "gum turpentine", "terpenes oil" or "turpentine from Bordeaux" is the term "essential oil of turpentine" which designates the terpenic oil, obtained by hydrodistillation of the gum pine. The terpenic oil is used in the pharmaceutical industry, perfume industry, food additives and other chemical industries (household cleaning products, paintings, varnishes, rubber, insecticides, etc) due to its pleasant fragrance [1]. The terpenic oil was used by the eminent doctors of antiquity, Hippocrates, Galen or Dioscorides for its properties that helped acting against lung diseases and biliary lithiasis. It was recommended against blennorrhoea and cystitis in France by Thillenius, Pitcairn, Récamier and Martinet. It was prescribed against neuralgias by Chaumeton, Peschiez, Kennedi, and Mérat. The treatment of rheumatism, sciatica, nephritis, drop, constipation and mercury salivation also required terpenic oil. Anti-parasitic, analgesic, revulsive, disinfectant (external use); balsamic, active on bronchial secretion as well as on pulmonary and genito-urinary tract infections, haemostatic, active on dissolving gallstones, diuretic, antispasmodic, antirheumatic, de-worming, active as an antidote for phosphorous poisonings and active on improving the ciliary and the secretory activity in patients who * Corresponding author: E-Mail: tumen@bartin.edu.tr ; Phone: +90-378-223-5074; Fax: +90-378-223-50 62.