Chemical composition and antimicrobial activity of Micromeria hedgei Rech. f. oil from Iran

Micromeria hedgei belongs to the Lamiaceae family and is a rare endemic and endangered species that has been used in traditional medicine in Iran. In this regard, essential oil composition and antimicrobial activity of wild and cultivated M. hedgei was reported for the first time. Essential oils isolated via hydro distillation from the aerial parts of M. hedgei were analysed by a combination of capillary GC and GC-MS. The major constituents were geranial (18.04 and 22.68%), neral (13.81 and 15.99%), geraniol (13.15 and 10.74%), nerol (7.69 and 6.02%), E-caryophyllene (6.52-3.80%), carvacrol (6.20 and 5.27%), geranyl acetate (5.79 and 3.06%), caryophyllene oxide (4.73 and 3.88%), thymol (3.13 and 3.63%) and alpha-humulene (3.27 and 3.27%) in wild and cultivated M. hedgei. Antimicrobial activity of essential oils was investigated by disc diffusion method. Essential oil showed good antimicrobial activity against five medically important pathogens compared with standard antibiotics. [GRAPHICS] .