Composition and antibacterial activity of the essential oil of Anisochilus carnosus (Linn. fil.) Benth., a Tamil plant acclimatized in Sicily

Abstract The essential oil from aerial parts of Anisochilus carnosus (Linn. fil.) Benth. (Lamiaceae) was obtained by hydrodistillation. The oil content was 0.13% (v/w), on a fresh weight basis. The oil composition was analysed by GC and GC–MS and 28 compounds were identified, accounting for 94.3% of the oil. Carvacrol (27.9%), camphor (14.1%) and α ‐ cis ‐bergamotene (10.2%) were the most abundant components. The oil is active against Gram‐positive and Gram‐negative bacteria. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.