Chemical composition and antibacterial activity of the essential oil of Centella asiatica growing in South Africa

In South Africa, Centella asiatica (L.) Urb is used traditionally for the treatment of various diseases. Analyses of the essential oil of this medicinal plant revealed 11 monoterpenoid hydrocarbons (20.20%), nine oxygenated monoterpenoids (5.46%), 14 sesquiterpenoid hydrocarbons (68.80%), five oxygenated sesquiterpenoids (3.90%), and one sulfide sesquiterpenoid (0.76%). α-Humulene (21.06%), β-caryophyllene (19.08%), bicyclogermacrene (11.22%), germacrene B (6.29%), and myrcene (6.55%) were the predominant constitutes. The essential oil extract exhibited a broad spectrum of antibacterial activities against Gram-positive (Bacillus subtilis, Staphylococcus aureus) and Gram-negative (Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Shigella sonnei) organisms. © 2005 Taylor & Francis Ltd.