Bactericidal effects of essential oils from clove, lavender and geranium on multi-drug resistant isolates of Pseudomonas aeruginosa

Abstract

The inhibitory effects of essential oils including clove, lavender and geranium extracted from Eugenia caryophyllata, Lavandula officinalis and Pelargonium graveolens on multidrug resistant isolates of Pseudomonas aeruginosa were investigated. The main constituents of clove, lavander and geranium oil were eugenol (80-90%), 1,8-cineol (13%) and citronellol (45%) respectively. Clove had the most effective essential oil against P. aeruginosa. A combination consisting of clove, lavender and geranium oils at a ratio of 3:1:1 showed the most inhibitory effect (32-64 pg/ml) and strong synergy with gentamicin. The essential oils from clove,