**3. Genus** *Pimenta*

Genus *Pimenta* Lindley belongs to family Myrtaceae, subfamily Myrtoideae, and to Myrteae tribe, comprises 15 species (+6 varieties) [38], was described by John Lindley in 1821 as the type species "*Pimenta officinalis*." Its name derives from the Latin pigmentum, "color" of the verb to paint, a name destined for spices, in association with the characteristics of the fruit of that type [40, 41]; it is characterized by fragrant shrubs or trees, with opposite leaves and glandular on both sides, simple hairs, more or less conspicuous collector nerve. Inflorescence in multiflora vertices, arranged in the upper armpits or subterminals, can have 3–15 flowers [9, 42]; its distribution is typical from tropical America [9, 38, 42, 43], being the majority of the species, native to the Caribbean and Central America, except the species *P. pseudocaryophyllus*

(Gomes) Landrum LR, which is endemic from Brazil [39, 40, 44, 45]. In Venezuela, it is only represented by *P. racemosa* (Mill.) JW Moore (*P. acris* Kostel) and is distributed in Falcón, Federal District, Lara, Mérida, Nueva Esparta, Táchira, Sucre, and Zulia states [35].

**Plant species (origin) Part of plant used Extraction method Main compounds** 

*P. adenoclada* (Cuba) Leaves Hydrodistillation Caryophyllene oxide

*P. dioica* (Jamaica) Leaves Steam distillation Eugenol (66.38–79.24),

*P. dioica* (México) Berries Steam distillation Methyl-eugenol (48.3),

*P. dioica* (México) Berries Hydrodistillation Methyl-eugenol (62.7),

*P. dioica* (Cuba) Leaves Hydrodistillation Eugenol (34.14),

*P. dioica* (Australia) Leaves Hydrodistillation Eugenol (45.4),

extraction

extraction

Canada)

800675)

800116)

*P. dioica* Berries Steam distillation Methyl-eugenol (62.7),

*P. dioica* (Jamaica) Leaves Hydrodistillation Eugenol (79.81–83.68) [74]

et Fils, Montréal, QC,

(Kurt Kitzing Co., Wallerstein, Germany,

Ltd., Cambridge, UK)

(Kurt Kitzing Co., Wallerstein, Germany,

*P. dioica* (México) Berries Supercritical CO<sup>2</sup>

*P. dioica* (Australia) Leaves Supercritical CO<sup>2</sup>

*P. dioica* (Antilles) Leaves Commercial (Robert

*P. dioica* (Jamaica) Berries Commercial (Oshadhi

*P. dioica* (Jamaica) Leaves Commercial

*P. dioica* (Jamaica) Leaves Commercial

**(area %)**

Chemical Composition of Essential Oil of Genus *Pimenta* (Myrtaceae): Review

β-pinene (5.3)

β-caryophyllene (0.97–7.10)

(6.2)

(5.2)

(15.4), α-muurolol (9.4), humulene epoxide II (7.6), trans-sabinol (5.6),

http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.78004

myrcene (17.7), eugenol (17.3), β-caryophyllene

myrcene (16.5), eugenol (8.3), 1,8-cineole (4.1)

Methyl-eugenol (67.9), eugenol (14.9), myrcene (6.0), β-caryophyllene

1,8-cineole (14.69), α-humulene (10.12), γ-cadinene (5.49)

Eugenol (77.9), β-caryophyllene (5.1), squalene (4.1)

β-caryophyllene (8.9), α-cadinol (5.9), α-humulene (5.4)

Eugenol (76.02), methyl eugenol (7.14), β-caryophyllene (6.47)

Eugenol (86.44), β-caryophyllene (7.70), methyl eugenol (3.87)

Eugenol (76.0) [76]

eugenol (8.3), 1,8-cineole

(4.1)

Eugenol (47.78), myrcene (26.76), geraniol (10.40)

**Reference**

25

[67]

[68]

[69]

[69]

[69]

[70]

[71]

[71]

[72–73]

[19]

[75]

[77]

The species of this genus are used in several countries including Barbados, Brazil, China, Cuba, Dominican Republic, England, Haití, India, Kerala, Mangalore, Mexico, Middle East, Taiwan, USA, and Venezuela [45–56], in various areas, whether to build agricultural tools, houses, or living fences because of the resistance of its wood against termites, industrially for the production of condiments, flavors, perfumes, and cosmetics, or in the treatment of various pathologies of traditional medicine such as fever, rheumatism, toothache, abdominal pain, pneumonia, colds, pectoral angina, diarrhea, incontinence, stroke, anti-inflammatory, and analgesic properties [10, 12, 15, 57–59]. Among pharmacological effects reported for different *Pimenta* species include anticancer, antidermatophytic, antihemorrhagic bleeding, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, antimutagenic, antinociceptive, antioxidant, antipyretic, central nervous system depressant, cobra venom, hypoglycemic, hypotensive, inhibitor of histone acetyl transferase enzyme, inhibitor of enzyme histidine carboxylase, and insect repellent [10, 12, 15, 59].

Chemistry studies of *Pimenta* species have led to the identification of a variety of secondary metabolites of the type: tannins, phenolic compounds, flavonoids, and a structural variety of volatile substances such as monoterpenes, sesquiterpenes, and phenylpropenes (present in essential oils), which could generate a content of volatile essences from fresh leaves between 1 and 5% [12, 13]. Essential oils of *P. racemosa* can present characteristic, aromatic, and pleasant odors, due to their major components; for example, a lemon smell due to the neral/geranial content (72%), an aniseed odor due to the presence of methylchavicol/methyleugenol (81%), and clove odor due to the presence of chavicol/eugenol (73%) [60].

Furthermore, the best-known species of this genus, due to its economic and pharmacological importance, are *P. dioica* (L.) Merrill and *P. racemosa* (Mill.) J. W. Moore [40, 41].
