Abstract The dried aerial parts of Pimpinella aurea DC., which belongs to Apiaceae family and grows in central Iran, were hydrodistilled to produce oils in the yield of 0.30% (v/w). The oils were analyzed by GC and GC/MS. Twenty-six compounds were identified, representing 96.27% of the oils. The main components were β-caryophyllene (13.6%), β-bisabolene (12.2%), (E)-β-farnesene (10.4%) and β-sesquiphellandrene (10.2%).