abstract the volatile components isolated from the root of angelica (angelica archangelica l.) cultivated in southern brazil have been studied. the essential oil was obtained by hydrodistillation; the volatile concentrate was obtained by supercritical fluid extraction (sfe). sfe was conducted at 40^0c, 50^0c and 60^0c, at pressures ranging from 90-120 bar. the identification of the components was completed using capillary gas chromatography and mass spectrometry based on the retention time on methyl silicone phases. chemical analysis revealed that although roughly the same compounds were extracted, the two oils had a widely different percentage composition. the supercritical co2 extraction exhibited a higher number and concentration of oxygenated compounds.