abstract we analyzed the essential oil of xylopia aethiopica from dried fruit and the powder obtained from crushed dried fruit using combined gc and gc/ms. the principal constituents identified in the fruit oil were -pinene (19.1%), -terpinene (14.7%), trans-pinocarveol (8.6%) and p-cymene (7.3%). in the oil from the powder die major constituents were -pinene (9.9%), -cadinol (6.9%), trans-pinocarveol (4.6%), -pinene (4.1%) and 1,8-cineole (4.0%).