สารบัญ

Thai name น้ำมันเทียนแกลบ (NAM-MAN THIAN GLAEP)

Category  Pharmaceutic aid.

      Fennel Oil is the volatile oil distilled with steam from the dried ripe fruit of Foeniculum vulgare Mill. var. vulgare (Mill.) Thelung (Family Apiaceae).

Note  If solid material has separated, carefully warm the Fennel Oil until it is completely liquefied, and mix it before using.

Origin of plant  Fennel Oil-yielding plant is native to Mediterranean region, Ethiopia, and West Nepal.

Constituents  Fennel Oil contains volatile oils of which trans-anethole, (+)-fenchone, estragole, limonene, p-anisaldehyde, α-pinene, and α-phellandrene are predominantly found.

Description  Colourless or pale yellow liquid; odour and taste, characteristic.

Solubility test  Soluble in 1 volume of ethanol (90 per cent).

Packaging and storage  Fennel Oil shall be kept in well-filled, tightly closed containers, protected from light, and stored at a temperature not exceeding 25.

Identification  Carry out the test as described in the “Thin-Layer Chromatography” (Appendix 3.1),

      Test solution Dissolve 300 mg of the sample in 20 mL of n-hexane, pipette 1 mL of this solution into a 10-mL volumetric flask and make up to volume with n-hexane.

      Adsorbent  Silica gel GF254.

      Mobile phase  n-Hexane and ethyl acetate (20:1).

      Application  Apply 5 µL as a spot.

      Development and drying Allow the solvent front to ascend 7 cm above the line of application. Dry the developed plate in air.

      Detection Examine the plate under ultraviolet light (254 nm).

      Results When examined under ultraviolet light (254 nm), the test solution shows a quenching spot at R_f about 0.4.

Freezing temperature  Not below 3 (Appendix 4.4).

Optical rotation  +12 to +24 (Appendix 4.8).

Refractive index  1.528 to 1.538, at 20 (Appendix 4.7).

Specific gravity  0.953 to 0.973 (Appendix 4.9).