Antibacterial activity of the essential oils of Salvia officinalis L. and Salvia triloba L. cultivated in South Brazil

The essential oils of Salvia officinalis and Salvia triloba cultivated in South Brazil were analyzed by GC-MS. The major constituents of the oil of S. officinalis were alpha-thujone, 1,8-cineole, camphor, borneol and beta-pinene, whereas those of S. triloba were alpha-thujone, 1,8-cineole, camphor, and beta-caryophyllene. The essential oils of both species exhibited remarkable bacteriostatic and bactericidal activities against Bacillus cereus, Bacillus megatherium, Bacillus subtilis, Aeromonas hydrophila, Aeromonas sobria, and Klebsiella oxytoca. Moreover, the essential oil of S. triloba efficiently inhibited the growth of Staphylococcus aureus. S. aureus and A. hydrophila growth were drastically reduced even in the presence of 0.05 mg/ml of the essential oil of S. triloba. (c) 2005 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.