The Essential Oil from the Roots of Valeriana rigida Ruiz & Pav. Growing in the Paramos of Chimborazo (Ecuador): Chemical Analysis, Enantioselective Profile, and Preliminary Biological Activity Flores, Linda M. Vinueza, Diego R. Gilardoni, Gianluca Mota Ávila, Antonio José Malagón, Omar Valeriana rigida Essential oil Enantiomers The essential oil (EO) obtained from the roots of Valeriana rigida Ruiz & Pav. (Caprifoliaceae), collected in the moorland region of Chimborazo Province, Ecuador, was analyzed for the first time. The chemical profile was qualitatively and quantitatively analyzed using GC-MS and GC-FID, respectively. With both detectors, two stationary phases of different polarities were used. A total of 56 compounds were identified, and the most abundant components (>3% on at least one column) were a mixture of cyclosativene and α-ylangene (4.5–4.4%), α-copaene (9.0–8.8%), decanoic acid (16.0–15.6%), β-chamigrene (3.2–3.1%), δ-cadinene (9.7–9.5%), dodecanoic acid (13.4–12.3%), and 7-epi-α-eudesmol (5.0–4.9%), on a non-polar and polar stationary phase, respectively. Additionally, the enantioselective analysis showed (1S,5S)-(+)-α-pinene, (1R,4S)-(–)-camphene, (1S,5S)-(−)-β-pinene, and (1R,2S,6S,7S,8S)-(–)-α-copaene as enantiomerically pure compounds, whereas germacrene D exhibited both enantiomeric forms. The anti-inflammatory activity of V. rigida EO was comparable to that of aspirin, as indicated by the IC50 values, with no significant differences observed. 2025-05-26T10:41:27Z 2025-05-26T10:41:27Z 2025-03-29 journal article Flores, L.M.; Vinueza, D.R.; Gilardoni, G.; Mota, A.J.; Malagón, O. The Essential Oil from the Roots of Valeriana rigida Ruiz & Pav. Growing in the Paramos of Chimborazo (Ecuador): Chemical Analysis, Enantioselective Profile, and Preliminary Biological Activity. Plants 2025, 14, 1062. [https://doi.org/10.3390/plants14071062] https://hdl.handle.net/10481/104256 10.3390/plants14071062 eng http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ open access Atribución 4.0 Internacional MDPI