Chemical composition, antioxidant and insecticidal properties of essential oils from wild and cultivated Salvia aucheri subsp. blancoana (Webb. & Helder)), an endemic, threatened medicinal plant in Morocco

• Oils composition and biological activities of wild and cultivated Moroccan sage (Salvia aucheri subsp. blancoana) were investigated.
• Camphor was more dominant in wild Moroccan sage oil.
• Camphene and α-pinene were more abundant in the cultivated Moroccan sage oil.
• Cultivated Moroccan sage oil showed the highest antioxidant activity.
• Wild Moroccan sage oil was the most effective against adults of T. castaneum.

Hydro-distilled essential oils (EOs) from the aerial parts of wild and cultivated Salvia aucheri subsp. blancoana, an endemic and threatened medicinal species of Morocco, were analyzed by GC/MS and screened for their antioxidant and insecticidal activities. In total 23 compounds representing more than 98.7% of the total oils were identified. Camphor (26.6–57.3%), camphene (6.3–22.0%), α-pinene (4.1–20.6%) and (E)-caryophyllene (5.4–5.7%) were found as the main constituents of the two oils. The EOs of the wild and cultivated material differed significantly in both the percentage of the main components and their biological activity. Camphor was more dominant in wild Moroccan sage oil (57.3%) than in cultivated sage (26.6%), while camphene (22.0%) and α-pinene (20.6%) were more abundant in the cultivated material compared to 6.3% and 4.1% respectively in wild sage. Regarding the biological activity, cultivated Moroccan sage oil showed the highest antioxidant activity, while the wild plant EO was the most effective against adults of the red flour beetle Tribolium castaneum Herbst.