Constituent · Phenylpropanoid / aromatic
estragole
A sweet, anise-like phenol ether in basil and tarragon; used cautiously.
Essential oils richest in estragole
Measured relative composition (GC peak-area %) pooled across published GC-MS samples — median, typical range (middle 50%) and the maximum seen.
| Oil | Median | Typical range | Max | Samples |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tarragon | 81.84% | 80.1%–82.1% | 83.71% | 5 |
| Basil | 33.5% | 1.58%–44.73% | 75.2% | 60 |
| Dill | 29.32% | 29.32%–29.32% | 29.32% | 1 |
| Anise | 10.19% | 8.73%–12.26% | 13.2% | 6 |
| Cinnamon bark | 9.47% | 9.17%–15.49% | 19.11% | 9 |
| Fennel | 5.14% | 2.94%–7.37% | 72.38% | 51 |
| Coriander | 4.97% | 2.96%–6.99% | 9% | 2 |
| Tangerine | 2.7% | 2.7%–2.7% | 2.7% | 1 |
| Cumin | 1.55% | 1.12%–1.88% | 2.22% | 4 |
| Sage | 1.5% | 0.8%–2.98% | 5.3% | 4 |
| Grapefruit | 1.46% | 1.46%–1.46% | 1.46% | 1 |
| Orange | 1.17% | 0.73%–1.6% | 2.03% | 2 |
| Cardamom | 0.9% | 0.9%–0.9% | 0.9% | 1 |
| Lemon | 0.79% | 0.79%–0.79% | 0.79% | 1 |
| Oregano | 0.46% | 0.46%–0.46% | 0.46% | 1 |
| Patchouli | 0.44% | 0.44%–0.44% | 0.44% | 1 |
| Myrtle | 0.32% | 0.2%–0.44% | 0.45% | 4 |
| Spearmint | 0.25% | 0.23%–0.28% | 0.3% | 2 |
| Laurel | 0.14% | 0.11%–0.17% | 0.93% | 7 |
| Thyme | 0.13% | 0.09%–0.18% | 0.82% | 7 |
Oils in our library are linked above — open any profile for its full composition, safety panel and the research behind it.
Related constituents
Other phenylpropanoid / aromatic compounds across the oils.
Figures are GC peak-area percentages pooled across published GC-MS samples, not concentrations, and describe chemistry — not health effects. How this is built →