Abstract
The objective of this study was to evaluate wild growing Satureja kitaibelii, Thymus serpyllum, Origanum vulgare, Achillea millefolium and Achillea clypeolata with respect to their essential oil (EO) content, composition and antimicrobial activity. The five species were collected at Mt. Rtanj and the village of Sesalac, Eastern Serbia. The main EO constituents of Lamiaceae plants were p-cymene (24.4%), geraniol (63.4%) and germacrene D (21.5%) in Satureja kitaibelii, Thymus serpyllum and Origanum vulgare ssp. vulgare, respectively. A. millefolium EO had multiple constituents with major ones being camphor (9.8%), caryophyllene oxide (6.5%), terpinen-4-ol (6.3%) and 1,8-cineole (5.6%), while the main EO constituents of A. clypeolata were 1,8-cineole (45.1%) and camphor (18.2%). Antimicrobial testing of the EO showed that Staphylococcus aureus (Gram-positive) was more sensitive to all of the tested EOs than Escherichia coli (Gram-negative). S. kitaibelii EO showed the highest antimicrobial activity against both tested bacterial strains. This is the first study to characterize the EO composition and antimicrobial activity of these five medicinal species from Eastern Serbia in comparison with comprehensive literature data. The results can be utilized by the perfumery, cosmetics, food and pharmaceutical industries, but also for healing purposes in self-medication.
Highlights
The plants of the Lamiaceae and Asteraceae families are widely distributed medicinal plants throughout the world and have been used since ancient times for medicine and food
The results from this study suggest that the combination effects of these compounds (p-cymene, limonene and linalool) in S. kitaibelii Essential Oil (EO) had (GK)
This study demonstrated that S. kitaibelii plants from Mt
Summary
The plants of the Lamiaceae and Asteraceae families are widely distributed medicinal plants throughout the world and have been used since ancient times for medicine and food. Medicinal plants from these families have been used for flavoring, food preservation and medicinal purposes, due to their bioactive properties [1,2,3]. Pharmaceutical companies are interested in the wide range of beneficial properties of these plants in order to develop modern herbal remedies that would be used either as a replacement or supplement to conventional medicines and for prevention of illnesses [4,5,6]. In Serbia, the Lamiaceae family includes the biggest number of medicinal plants, followed by Rosaceae and Asteraceae [13]. Satureja kitaibelii (Rtanj’s tea), Thymus serpyllum (creeping thyme) and Origanum vulgare ssp. vulgare (common oregano) belong to the Lamiaceae family, while
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