Antibacterial properties of essential oils from six medicinal plants

ABSTRACT

The essential oils obtained from six medicinal plants namely Vitex sp. (Kyaung-ban), Zingiber officinale (gyin), Cymbopogon citratus (sabalin), Curcuma longa (nanwin), Piper nigrum (ngayokekoung) and Coleus aromaticus (ziyarywethtu) were tested on 20 strains of bacteria. The bacteria comprised of 9 strains of Escherichia coli, 8 strains of Salmonella, and one strain each of Proteus morganii, Staphylococcus aureus, and Shigella sonnei. It was observed that Cymbopogon citratus and Coleus aromaticus were active on most bacteria tested.