Objective: The study aimed to compare the difference of volatile components in lavender by different extraction methods. Method: Volatile components from lavender were extracted by steam distillation (SDE)

microwave extraction (MWE)

head space-solid phase microextraction (HS-SPME) respectively

and analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Result: There was a certain difference among the volatile compounds extracted by the above three methods. Totally

54 volatile components were identified

including 17 alcohols

11 alkenes

11 esters

3 ketones

2 aldehydes

and 10 other components such as phenols

amines

caryophyllene oxide and so on. Among the detected compounds in the samples

34 terpenoids with pharmacological activity were identified

and 7 common compounds were identified by three methods

namely α-terpinene

linalool oxide

linalool

linalyl acetate

cryptone

(Z)-β-farnesene and caryophyllene oxide. Characteristic components were specific to each extraction method:hotrienol

nerol

nerolidol

cuminol

α-cedrol and camphor were characteristic components from SDE method; α-santalene

germacrene

tau-cadinol

pichtosin

α-epoxy-terpenyl acetate and three other compounds were the characteristic components by MWE method; 8-acetoxy linalool

1-hydroxy linalool

butyric acid-3-hexenyl ester

limonene oxide

3

16-diacetyl pseudo solasodine and thirteen other compounds were the main characteristic components via HS-SPME method. Conclusion: The above three methods combined with GC-MS can be used for the analysis of different volatile compounds in lavender and thus be feasible to establish GC-MS representation system for it.