Phytochemical study of Cistus libanotis L

In continuation of our ongoing study on Mediterranean Flora, we focused the attention on Cistus genus. These plants possess interesting secondary metabolites and are used in many fields, principally in perfumery and more recently as raw material for food supplements (botanicals). In this article, we report the phytochemical analysis of Cistus libanotis L. from Tunisia. Among the diterpenes, labdane compounds resulted absent, in favour of two clerodanes, one of that never reported in Cistus sp. The main representative compounds were found to be several flavonoids with various grades of O-methylation. Other interesting components were two cinnamic esters of borneol, reported here for the first time in Cistus. The identified compounds confirm in part the reported biological properties and add chemotaxonomic data to this complicated genus.