RESUMO
Aspergillus flavus is a pathogenic fungus, which can easily contaminate Chinese herbal medicines, food, and agricultural commodities. Aflatoxin (AFT) produced by the secondary metabolism of A. flavus caused serious threats to the health of people and animals due to its carcinogenic and highly toxic characteristics. Therefore, the search for inhibitors to A. flavus and its toxins has been widely concerned in the world. Essential oil is a natural antifungal agent extracted and highly concentrated from higher plants. It has the advantages of good antifungal effect, low pollution, and relatively safe to human body. Some kinds of them, including Thymus vulgaris, Origanum virens, Perilla frutescens, Foeniculum vulgare, and so on, displayed their antifungal activities. Specifically, active ingredients such as alcohols, aldehydes, and phenols have relatively good antifungal effects. The research progress on pathogenicity of A. flavus and AFT and the prevention and control by essential oils are reviewed in this article, which provided a reference for further exploring the antifungal mechanism of essential oils and developing natural and green antifungal products.