GENERAL DESCRIPTION
Thorny shrub to small tree, 3–9 m high, with
very fragrant flowers; believed to be native of
the Old World, now widespread and cultivated
in subtropical and tropical regions of the
world.^1 Parts used are the flowers from which
a concrete is first prepared by extraction with
petroleum ether; the absolute is then obtained
byalcoholextractionoftheconcrete.Produced
primarily in Cannes, France; also in India.
CHEMICAL COMPOSITION
The absolute contains approximately 25% of
volatile constituents, which are composed
mainly of benzyl alcohol, methyl salicylate,
farnesol, and geraniol, with more than 40
other minor compounds, includinga-ionone,
geranylacetate,linalylacetate,nerolidol,dihy-
droactinidiolide, ()-3-methyl-dec-3-en-1-ol,
()-3-methyl-dec-3-enoic acid, andtrans-3-
methyl-dec-4-enoic acid. The last three
compounds are responsible for much of the
characteristic fragrance of cassie oil.2–5
The nonfragrant material present accounts
for about 75% of the absolute and consists
mostly of high molecular weight lipids (e.g.,
hydrocarbons and waxes).^2
USES
Medicinal, Pharmaceutical, and Cosmetic.
The absolute is used as a fragrance component
in some high-cost perfumes.
Food. The absolute is used as a flavor ingre-
dient (fruit flavors) in most major categories of
food products, including alcoholic and nonal-
coholic beverages, frozen dairy desserts, can-
dy, baked goods, and gelatins and puddings,
with average maximum use levels generally
below 0.002%.
Traditional Medicine. Flowers used topi-
cally to relieve headache; also used as anti-
spasmodic, aphrodisiac, antidiarrheal, febri-
fuge, antirheumatic, stimulant, and insecticide
in the form of an infusion; used in baths for
dry skins. In India, leaves are used to treat
inflammatory conditions^6 and gonorrhea; root
chewed for sore throat; dried gum ground to
powder for diarrhea.^7 Root has been used in
treating stomach cancer in Venezuela;^8 also
used in China to treat rheumatoid arthritis and
pulmonary tuberculosis.
Others. Bark and pods (23% tannin) used
for tanning; gum marketed with other acacia
gums; used in confectionery.
COMMERCIAL PREPARATIONS
Absolute and oil.
Regulatory Status. Approved for food use as
a natural flavoring (§172.510).
REFERENCES
See the General References forARCTANDER;BAILEY1;CSIR I;DUKE1;DUKE2;GUENTHER;GUPTA;JIANGSU;
LIST AND HO ̈RHAMMER;MCGUFFIN1&2;MORTON2;ROSE;UPHOF.
- C. D. Adams, Flowering Plants of
Jamaica, University of the West Indies,
Mona, Jamaica, 1972, p. 336.
- E. Demole et al.,Helv. Chim. Acta, 52 ,24
(1969).
3. M. S. Karawaya et al.,Bull. Fac. Pharm.
Cairo Univ., 13 , 183 (1974).
4. A. El-Hamidi and I. Sidrak,Planta Med.,
18 , 98 (1970).
Cassie absolute 153
