Aloysia gratissima (Gillies & Hook.) Tronc. (Verbenaceae) is an aromatic shrub native to South America which is widely used in traditional medicine to treat several diseases. In this study we report on the chemical composition and biological activity (anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activity) of extracts obtained from the aerial parts of the Brazilian plant Aloysia gratissima using two extraction methods: hydrodistillation and extraction with supercritical carbon dioxide. Three major components were identified in the essential oil, namely trans-pinocamphone (13.5-16.3%), β-pinene (10.5-12.0%) and α-guaiol (6.6-8.7%), whereas the major compounds were guaiol (16.7%), β-caryophyllene (9.2%) and germacrene D (8.6%) in the supercritical fluid (SFE) extract. None of the two samples presented a significant inhibitory effect in vitro on soybean 5-lipoxygenase.The antioxidant activity using both the 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and ORAC assays showed poor activity. © Essential Oil Resource Consultants. All rights reserved.14172178Duarte, M.C.T., Figueira, G.M., Sartoratto, A., Rehder, V.L.G., Delarmelina, C., Anti-candida activity of Brazilian medicinal plants (2005) J Ethnopharmacol, 97 (2), pp. 305-311Alves, T.M.A., Silva, A.F., Brandão, M., Grandi, T.S.M., Smânia, E.F.A., Smânia Jr, A., Zani, C.L., Biological screening of Brazilian medicinal plants (2000) Mem Inst Oswaldo Cruz, 95 (3), pp. 367-373De Figueiredo RO, Stefanini MB, Ming LC, Marques MOM, Facanali R. 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