Characterization and biological activity of essential oils from fourteen Labiatae species

The Labiatae family is rich in plants that are sources of essential oils having aromatic notes and biological properties. Considering the interest in natural products for cosmetic, perfumery, food and pharmacological industry, the deeper knowledge of the potentiality of different aromatic plants can give results of economic importance. In our work, the essential oils of fourteen species were evaluated for their quali-quantitative composition and biological activity. The species analysed are: basil (Ocimum basificum L.), beebalm (Monarda didyma L.), pennyroyal (Mentha pulegium L.), spearmint (Mentha spicata L.), headed savory (Thymus capitatus Hoffm.et Link), calamint (Calamintha nepeta L.), winter savory (Satureja montana L.), savory (Satureja cuneifolia Ten.), thymbra (Thymbra sintenisii Bormn. et Aznav. ssp. isaurica P.H. Davis), a cultivated rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis L) and four wild rosemaries harvested in different Italian locations: Elba Island (Tuscany), Sicily, Abruzzo and Calabria. The oils, obtained by steam-distillation of fresh aerial part of the plants harvested at full flowering stage, were characterized by GC-MS, tested for antimicrobial property by determining the minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) and for the antioxidant activity by beta-carotene bleaching test. Each species was characterized by a peculiar quali-quantitative composition and all the oils contained compounds with established biological activity. Headed savory exerted the highest antimicrobial control also at low concentrations. Basil and rosemary from Elba Island evidenced a great antioxidant capability comparable to that of a-tocopherol used as reference antioxidant agent.