Analysis and biological activity of the essential oil of rosmarinus officinalis l. from egypt

Abstract

Abstract A comparative study of the essential oils prepared from the fresh leaves of plants collected from St Catherine, Sinai (sample I), and from Giza (sample II) was carried out. The yields were 0.14 and 0.40% respectively. Analysis of the oils by gas chromatography‐mass spectroscopy (GC‐MS) led to the identification of 43 components in sample I. These components represented 82% of the total composition of the oil. Verbenone (12.3%), camphor (11.3%), bornyl acetate (7.6%) and limonene (7.1%) were the major constituents. Thirty‐seven components, which represented about 86% of the total composition of the oil, were identified in sample II. Camphor (14.9%), α‐pinene (9.3%), and 1,8‐cineole (9.0%) were the main constituents. Sample II showed a good antimicrobial activity against Candida albicans, Cryptococcus neoformans and Mycobacterium intracellularae . Preliminary screening against the earthworms Allolobophora caliginosa showed that both oils have a marked vermicidal activity.