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The use of essential oils (EOs) in the perfumery, agriculture, food industry and cosmetics is quite common owing to their aromatic properties. Tea tree oil is an EO with immense potential for the treatment of dermatological disorders due to its antimicrobial properties against broad spectrum of micro-organisms. It has minimal tendency to develop resistance. It is obtained from the leaves ofMelaleuca alternifolia, an Australian species, by steam distillation. It is a mixture of components like monoterpenes, sesquiterpenes and their alcohols, contributing to various (analgesic, antiviral, antibacterial, antifungal, antiprotozoal, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and anticancer) activities. Tea tree oil is reported to overcome resistance development by bacterial species towards conventional drugs. However, its hydrophobic nature, volatility and sensitivity to light, air and temperature, pose challenges to formulation scientists for its effective delivery. Tea Tree oil is reported as a safe, natural and effective agent. Since, specific knowledge on the chemical composition and properties of oil is fundamental for its adequate use, the present review compiles and discusses the hitherto scattered data on activities, tolerability, safety, toxicity and stability concern of tea tree oil. It also sheds light on various reported drug delivery systems and applications of this EO.ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHERCopyright of Journal of Essential Oil Research is the property of Taylor & Francis Ltd and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The chemical composition of the essential oil from the leaves ofPseudobrickellia brasiliensis(Asteraceae) from the Brazilian Cerrado was analyzed by GC/FID and GC/MS. Thirty-four out of thirty-eight components detected were identified. Major compounds in the oil were terpinen-4-ol (38.6%), γ-terpinene (19.5%), α-terpinene (7.8%) and α-terpineol (4.5%). [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The essential oils from male and female branchlets and from female cones ofCupressus torulosaD. Don were analyzed by capillary gas chromatography (GC) and GC–mass spectrometry (GC–MS), and their compositions were compared. The analysis of essential oils revealed fifty-five constituents comprising 89.65–99.05% of the essential oil composition. Monoterpene hydrocarbons (51.09–58.06%) and oxygenated monoterpenes (28.61–39.48%) were found to be the major group of the constituents. Predominant constituents were umbellulone (16.26–26.66%), terpinen-4-ol (0.10–19.64%), α-pinene (9.62–17.76%), limonene (13.27–14.56%), sabinene (5.87–14.33%), γ-terpinene (1.97–6.89%) and α-terpinene (1.95–5.31%). [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Origanum majorana L. (Lamiaceae) is a plant that is used in gastronomy and natural medicine. The plant material used in this study was collected at San Isidro de Apartaderos, Mérida State. A yield of 0.6% of essential oil was obtained by hydro-distillation using a Clevenger trap. The main constituents found were: cis-sabinene hydrate (30.2%), terpinen-4-ol (28.8%), γ-terpinene (7.2%), α-terpineol (6.9%), trans-sabinene hydrate (4.4%), linalyl acetate (3.8%), and α-terpinene (3.6%). The essential oil was also fractionated over a silica gel dry column. Two main fractions were isolated, the first containing 67.6% of cis-sabinene hydrate and the second 72.8% of terpinen-4-ol. The antibacterial activity of the oil was determined using the agar diffusion method and it was found that it was active against Staphylococcus aureus, Enterococcus faecalis, Escherichia coli, and Klebsiella pneumoniae. Antibacterial activity of the fractions obtained by dry column chromatography was also tested. It was found that the fraction rich in cis-sabinene hydrate was more active than the one rich in terpinen-4-ol. It was concluded that in the essential oil of Origanum majorana, cis-sabinene hydrate is the more important compound responsible for inhibition of bacterial growth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The essential oils of the aerial parts and flowers of Alpinia nutans Rosc. were analyzed by GC and GC/MS. Oil from aerial parts was rich in monoterpenoids (85.7%) with sabinene (27.8%), 1,8-cineole (17.4%), terpinen-4-ol (14.9%), p-cymene (5.2%), γ-terpinene (5.1%), cis-sabinene hydrate (1.3%) and linalool (3.3%) as the major components identified, and with β-caryophyllene (3.9%) and caryophyllene oxide (1.3%) as sesquiterpenoids. Terpinen-4-ol (25.1%), g-terpinene (19.4%), sabinene (14.2%), 1,8-cineole (10.8%), linalool (1.6%) and caryophyllene oxide (1.0%) were the major components characterized in the flower oil. The oils were evaluated for DPPH radical scavenging ability, chelation of Fe+2, and reducing power activities. Further, these oils were also examined for their antimicrobial activities against Pasteurella multocida, Escherichia coli, Salmonella enterica enterica, Shigella flexneri and Staphylococcus aureus. The aerial parts oil was found to be more active than the flower oil in all the cases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The hydrodistilled essential oils of the flowers and leaves of Laserpitium zernyi Hayek were analyzed by GC-FID and GC/MS. Fifty-five compounds were identified in the flower oil (96.8% of total oil) and 58 in the leaf oil (89.4% of total oil). Both oils were characterised by the high amount of monoterpenes (59.1-75.6%), whereas sesquiterpenes were present in smaller quantity (21.2-29.2%). The main compounds in the flower oil were sabinene (18.5%), limonene (12.0%), β-phellandrene (12.0%) and terpinen-4-ol (10.6%), while in the leaf oil the most dominant were β-pinene (20.0%) and terpinen-4-ol (12.0%). The antimicrobial activity of the oils was determined using the agar diffusion and broth microdilution method against bacteria Staphylococcus aureus, St. epidermidis, Micrococcus luteus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Escherichia coli and a yeast Candida albicans. The best inhibitory effect (MIC 0.6 mg/mL) was exhibited by the flower oil against St. epidermidis, K. pneumoniae and C. albicans, the leaf oil against M. lutens, and both oils against E. coli. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Volatile oils from aerial parts of 10 Brazilian accessions of Cunila spicata were characterized by analytical gas chromatography and gas chromatography/mass spectroscopy. Twenty-three constituents accounting fir 89.04-98.00% of the total essential oil were identified. Four new chemotypes of this species with high concentrations of linalool/1,8- cineole, 1 ,8-cineole, carvone/carveol, and 1 ,8-cineole/limonene were identified. Geographically, all the accessions from the Southeast range of Rio Grande do Sul State belonged to the linalool/1,8-cineole chemotype, where those from the Northeast mountains of the State were distributed in the four chemical groups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An essential oil obtained by water distillation from Zanthoxylum bungeanum Maxim. fruits was analyzed by GC and GC/MS. Terpinen-4-ol (19.7%), 1,8-cineole (16.0%), p-cymene (7.9%), γ-terpinene (7.3%) and α-terpineol (7.2%) were the major compounds of the 35 identified components. The antifungal activity of the oil against 15 plant pathogenic fungi was assayed by the mycelial growth inhibition method and the values of median inhibition concentration (IC50) were below 1.0 mg/mL. The results showed that the oil had a broad spectrum of inhibitory activity against the tested fungi. The volatile components of the oil also obviously inhibited the mycelial growth of Rhizoctonia solani and Rhizoctonia cerealis. These results indicate that Z. bungeanum oil could he a source of antifungal ingredients for plant disease control especially applied in fruit and vegetable preservation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Oils of the leaves, bark and fruits of Bursera simaruba collected from the Long Mountain region of Jamaica were isolated by hydrodistillation and analyzed by GC-FID and GC/MS. From our analyses of the oils from the leaves, bark and fruits 46, 54 and 19 components were identified which constituted 93.6%, 97.9% and 100% of the total oils. The leaf oils were dominated by sesquiterpenes (70.1%), the major ones being trans-cadina-1(6),4-diene (9.7%) followed by β-caryophyllene (9.0%), α-humulene (6.2%), β-elemene (5.6%) α-cadinol (4.7%), α-selin-11-en-4-ol (4.2%), caryophyllene oxide (3.2%) and δ-selinene (3.1%). The major monoterpenes were α-pinene (10.2%), myrcene (5.2%) and β-pinene (3.4%). The major monoterpene components of the bark were α-pinene (32.1%), β-pinene (13.5%) and isolimonene (5.6%) while the major sesquiterpenes were viridiflorol (7.1%), β-caryophyllene (4.9%), β-selinene (4.3%), α-humulene (3.1%) and caryophyllene oxide (3.1%). The fruit oil was characterized by a high portion of monoterpenes, the major ones being α-pinene (27.8%), β-pinene (24.1%), terpinen-4-ol (13.3%), sabinene (8.1%), iso-sylvestrene (4.9%), limonene (4.4%) and γ-terpinolene (3.5%). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Water distilled essential oil of aerial parts of Tanacetum cadmeum (Boiss.) Heywood subsp. orientale Grierson (Asteraceae) was analyzed by GC and GC/MS methods. Ninety three compounds have been characterized representing 97.8% of the oil. 1,8-Cineole (18.9%), p-cymene (15.7%), terpinen-4-ol (14.8%), borneol (9.8%) and γ-terpinene (3.5%) were found to be the major constituents of the oil. Antimicrobial activity of the oil was tested via micro-dilution broth method. Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Enterobacter aerogenes, Salmonella typhimurium, Bacillus cereus, Staphylococcus epidermidis, Candida albicans were used as the test microorganisms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The leaf oils of the 11 recorded Western Australian species of the broombush complex of the genus Melaleuca have been examined by a combination of GC and GC/MS. Melaleuca atroviridis produced a monoterpenic leaf oil with α-pinene (11.0%) and 1,8-cineole (73.2%) being the principal components. Melaleuca concreta showed the presence of three chemotypes, one of which was rich in terpinen-4-ol (35.4%), while a second was rich in 1,8-cineole (58-81%). A third chemotype contained significant amounts of α-pinene (16.7%), 1,8-cineole (28.4%) and globulol (11.3%). Melaleuca exuvia produced a monoterpenic oil, which appeared to exist in two chemotypes, which contained α-pinene (13-23%), 1,8-cineole (56-67%), terpinen-4-ol (0.1-2%) and α-terpineol (3-7%) in one form and α-pinene (5-7%), 1,8-cineole (28-38%), terpinen-4-ol (11-17%) and α-terpineol (3-4%) in the second form. Melaleuca hamata produced a leaf oil that was dominated by monoterpenes. There appeared to be two chemotypes present, one in which terpinen-4-ol (41.6%) was the major component and a second chemotype in which 1,8-cineole (40.0%) and linalool (33.9%) were the principal components. Melaleuca interioris (from one population) contained a mixture of mono- and sesquiterpenes, in which sesquiterpenes predominated. Melaleuca osullivanii gave a leaf oil in which sesquiterpenes predominated, the principal component being spathulenol (10-18%). Melaleuca scalena produced a leaf oil dominated by monoterpenes, with α-pinene (25-31%) and 1,8-cineole (43-55%) being the principal components. Melaleuca stereophloia was dominated by monoterpenes of which the principal component was 1,8-cineole (78-83%). Melaleuca uncinata sens. strict. existed in a variety of forms one of which had major amounts of 1,8-cineole (44-56%), while a second contained major amounts of terpinen-4-ol (21-31%), γ-terpinene (10-14%) and α-terpinene (6-8%). Melaleuca vinnula appeared to exist in two chemotypes, one of which was rich in α-pinene (65.3%), while the second chemotype was rich in 1,8-cineole (60.6%). Melaleuca zeteticorum produced a leaf oil that was overwhelmingly monoterpene in character, the principal component being 1,8-cineole (63-68%). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A seasonal variation study was performed on the chemical composition of the essential oil of Agathosma ovata (Rutaceae). In addition, this study looked at how variations may impact the antimicrobial activity of A. ovata. The chemical composition of 10 monthly samples, as determined by GC and GC/MS, were found to differ qualitatively and quantitatively and the analysis resulted in the identification of 144 compounds. Sabinene was the major compound in the oil and ranged between 25-44% over the year. The antimicrobial activity was evaluated using the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) method on four pathogens, i.e. Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus cereus, Klebsiella pneumoniae and Candida albicans. Most of the samples had MIC values of 8 mg/mL. The activity for Staphylococcus aureus showed the greatest fluctuation (1.5-14 mg/mL) over the seasonal period. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hydrodistilled essential oils from the herbal parts of Coleonema album (Thunb.) Bartl. et H.L. Wendl., C. aspalathoides Juss et Don, C. calycinum (Steud.) I. Williams, C. pulchellum I. Williams (three samples) and C. virgatum (Schltdl.) Eckl. et Zeyh. were analyzed by GC and GC/MS. Forty-three compounds were characterized in the oil of C. album representing 99.1% of the total composition. Main compounds were β-phellandrene (30.4%) and myrcene (20.5%). Forty-three compounds were characterized in the oil of C. aspalathoides representing 94.1% of the oil with sabinene (24.0%), terpinen-4-ol (12.2%), p-cymene (12.1%), linalool (11.3%) and -pinene (9.1%) as main constituents. In the oil of C. calycinum, 35 compounds were characterized representing 99.4% of the total volume. β-Phellandrene (42.0%) and linalool (11.0%) were the main constituents. Monoterpene hydrocarbons were the main constituents in three oil samples of C. pulchellum. Myrcene (63.0%) was the main constituent in the oil of C. virgatum in which 23 compounds were identified representing 97.3% of the total. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The essential oils of seven species of oregano (Origanum vulgare L. ssp. gracile (Koch), Origanum acutidens Hand.-Mazz.) Ietswaart, Origanum hypericifolium O. Schwarz et P.H. Davis, Origanum bargyli Mouterde, Origanum saccatum P.H. Davis, Origanum solymicum P.H. Davis, and Origanum leptocladum Boiss.) were studied by GC and GC/MS. Eighty-five constituents were identified. The discriminant components of these oils were p-cymene, γ-terpinene, cis- and trans-sabinene hydrate, borneol, terpinen-4-ol, α-terpineol, thymol, and carvacrol. Some of the species were similar to those described in the literature, and new chemotypes are reported. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The composition of the essential oils from herbs of Achillea alexandri-regis, A. holosericea and A. lingulata was analyzed by GC and GC/MS. The predominant compounds in the oil of A. alexandri-regis were: α-pinene (14.4-15.7%), isopinocamphone (5.4-23.5%), α-phellandrene epoxide (5.0-19.0%), borneol (3.6-7.7%) and spatula (1.4-9.7%). The major components in the herb oil of A. holosericea were: borneol (17.3-18.1%), camphor (9.7-15.1%), terpinen-4-ol (6.3-11.1%) and camphene (5.7-7.2%). The presence of borneol (23.0-40.7%), β-thujone (5.5-7.6%), bornyl acetate (3.5-7.8%) and sabinene (1.7-6.7%) was characteristic of A. lingulata herb oils. The presence of borneol in high concentration was a connecting property for the oil of all three investigated Achillea species, especially for A. lingulata and A. holosericea. On the other side, the low concentration (0.2%) of camphor was characteristic of the investigated samples of A. alexandri-regis and A. lingulata. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Australian tea tree oil from Melaleuca alternifolia and M. linariifolia is well known for exhibiting antibacterial, antifungal, and general antiseptic properties. Hence characterization of tea tree oil is important, as this leads to a better understanding of the important components contributing to the observed properties of the oil. GC/MS is widely used for this task. However, reliable identification of oil components is not always possible using mass spectral data only. Retention times or retention indices are often used to support the MS data. The present study investigated a number of different tea tree and other Melaleuca sp. oil samples, and reports qualitative and quantitative data for each sample. Characterization of the individual oil components was performed using a private MS library, which incorporates an interactive linear retention index filter. The method described in this report increases the ease of characterization of individual oil components, and allows a greater number to be reliably assigned. More than 80% of the components in the samples studied are now reliably identified. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The chemical composition of the volatile oil of Zanthoxylum rhetsa seed coat was analyzed by GC and GC/MS. Thirty-four compounds, accounting for 87.4% of the oil were identified. The major compounds were terpinen-4-ol (32.1%), α-terpineol (8.2%), sabinene (8.1%), β-phellandrene (7.4%) and 2-undecanone (7.1%). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fresh leaves of Alpinia zerumbet and A. purpurata (Zingiberaceae) were collected in Rio de Janeiro city and subjected to hydrodistillation; their chemical composition was analyzed by GC/MS. These species are used as ornamental plants and in folk medicine. Variations in the leaf oils content and composition of A. zerumbet were found between April and August 2005. In April, the main constituents identified in leaf oil of A. zerumbet were terpinen-7-al (40.5%) and sabinene hydrate (15.4%); in August, the major components identified were terpinen-4-ol (29.4%) and 1,8-cineole (23.1%). Leaf oil of A. purpurata was rich in β-pinene (34.7%) and α-pinene (11.8%). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The chemical composition and antimicrobial activity of the hydrodistilled essential oil isolated from the aerial parts of Stachys milanii Petrovi#x0107;, a species endemic to central and eastern regions of the Balkan Peninsula, were examined for the first time. Fourteen compounds, predominantly monoterpenes, representing 92.2% of the total oil, were identified, with borneol (49.5%) and terpinen-4-ol (13.2%) as major components. The antimicrobial activity of the isolated oil against Klebsiella pneumoniae, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Salmonella enteritidis, Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus and Aspergillus niger was investigated by disc diffusion method and was a moderate one. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aerial parts of Stachys pilifera Benth. were collected from two regions: Kazeroon in southern and Shahr-e-kord in western Iran. The composition of the oils of S. pilifera (Lamiaceae) were investigated by GC and GC/MS. The main components of the oil of S. pilifera collected from Kazeroon (1), in southern Iran, were spathulenol (15.8%), cis-chrysanthenol (15.3%), β-caryophyllene (8.4%) and cis-chrysanthenyl acetate (6.9%), while for the plant collected from Shahr-e-kord (2), in western Iran, they were cis-chrysanthenyl acetate (21.8%), linalool (18.9%), terpinen-4-ol (11.9%) and cis-chrysanthenol (9.2%). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Analysis by GC and GC/MS of the oil of Origanum dayi grown in France from seeds collected from the desert of Judea in Israel, isolated by water distillation, led to the identification of 68 constituents. The oil was characterized by high proportions of 1,8-cineole (18.2-26.8%), terpinen-4-ol (16.1-21.6%) and α-terpineol (12.9-16.8%). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The essential oils of Pistacia lentiscus L. leaves from two Algerian populations have been analyzed by GC and GC/MS. Approximately 95% of the components were identified among which terpinen-4-ol (17.3-34.7%), α-terpineol (10.4-11.0%) and germacrene D (8.4-15.8%) were the major constituents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The yield and chemical composition of the oil obtained by hydrodistillation of the leaves of Araucaria cunninghamii Sweet., grown in the southwest region of Nigeria are reported. The analyses were made by GC and GC/MS. The oil was found to contain α-pinene (14.8%), terpinen-4-ol (14.7%), shyobunol (8.9%) and spathulenol (8.8%) as major constituents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The chemical composition of the three essential oils obtained by hydrodistillation of the resin, leaves and fruits of Pistacia atlantica Desf. (Anacardiaceae) was studied by GC and GC/MS. Monoterpene hydrocarbons constituted the main chemical group in the resin oil, with α-pinene (42.9%) and β-pinene (13.2%) as the major components. Oil of the fruits contained high amounts of oxygenated monoterpenes, with bornyl acetate (21.5%) as the major component, while oxygenated monoterpenes and sesquiterpenes were found to predominate in the oil of leaves among which terpinen-4-ol (21.7%) and elemol (20.0%) were the most abundant components. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The composition of the essential oils from different aerial parts of Lavandula coronopofolia Poiert (syn. Stricta delile L.) (Lamiaceae) was studied for the first time and analyzed by GC/MS. The oils were isolated separately by hydrodistillation from flowering tops, leaves, and from the whole aerial parts collected during the flowering period and the vegetative phase of the plant. The oil yield obtained from flowering tops, leaves, and whole aerial parts were 7.1%, 0.6% and 1.47%, respectively. Thirty-four compounds in the oil were identified. Linalool, camphor, terpinen-4-ol, 1,8-cineole and borneol were found to be the major constituents. The oil composition was found to vary by plant part. Linalool (41.2%) was found to be the major constituent in flowering tops and leaves, whereas, 1,8-cineole (25.4%) was the major constituent in the whole aerial parts oil. Thymol and carvacrol, which were minor components in the leaf oil, were found to be 13 and 11 times greater in the flowering tops oil. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The chemical composition of the rhizome oil of Hedychium cylindricum Ridi. was determined by GC retention indices (on two columns of different polarity) and GC/MS. Forty-nine compounds were identified with monoterpernoids accounting for more than 88% of the oil. The major constituents of the oil were terpinen-4-ol (40.5%), sabinene (9.9%), p-cymene (8.5%), limonene (6.0%), β-pinene (5.6%), γ-terpinerie (4.5%), and α-terpineol (2.2%). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]