Abstract The essential oil obtained by hydrodistillation from Artemisia dracunculus root and aerial parts cultivated in central Iran, were analyzed by a combination of GC and GC/MS. Thirty-three components of the root oil were identified. The most prominent components were acenaphthene (67.5%) and 2,4-pentadiynyl-benzene (22.2%). The analysis of aerial parts revealed the presence of sixteen compounds identified in the oil; major constituents were methyl chavicol (76.6%), (E)-beta-ocimene (11.0%), (Z)-Î²-ocimene (6.9%) and limonene (2.5%).