Antimicrobial activity of Artemisia douglasiana leaf essential oil

Artemisia douglasiana leaf has been shown to be efficacious complementary herbal treatment for chronic bladder infection in a paraplegic youth. The leaf oil has been analyzed by GC-MS and the major components found to be camphor (29%), artemisia ketone (26%), artemisia alcohol (13%), alpha-thujone (10%), 1,8-cineole (8%), and hexanal (5%). The leaf oil and the major components have been tested for antimicrobial activity against Bacillus cereus, Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Candida albicans, and Aspergillus niger. The essential oil shows limited antimicrobial activity in vitro, so it is unclear if the oil exerts a direct antimicrobial effect in vivo, or plays some role in stimulation of host defenses. (C) 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.