Abstract The chemical composition of essential oils from several parts of a type of Illicium griffithii (short peduncle) harvested in Vietnam was investigated using GC, GC/MS and 13C-NMR spectroscopy. These oils contained mostly oxygenated phenylpropanoids, essentially safrole (51.6â65.3%) and 4-methoxysafrole (19.6%, root bark oil). Oils from aerial parts and bark of root oil differed significantly.