Biochemical Studies on the Essential Oils of some Medicinal Plants

Some physical and chemical constants and chemical composition of the essential oils of three Egyptian plants namely thyme, rosemary and sage belonging to the Labiteae family were determined. Gas‐liquid chromatographic analysis of thyme, rosemary and sage essential oils indicated the presence of 13, 12 and 8 compounds representing 63.75%, 82.44% and 99% of the total volatile substances, respectively. The most prevalent volatile compounds of thyme, rosemary and sage oils were thymol, α‐pinene and thujone, respectively. The anti‐microbial examination for these oils against some micro‐organisms showed that thyme oil had the greatest effect followed by sage and rosemary oils. Copyright © 1986 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim