Chemical composition and antimicrobial action of the ethanol extracts of Salvia pratensis L., Salvia glutinosa L. and Salvia aethiopis L.

Abstract

In this paper the chemical composition and antimicrobial action of the extracts from the flower, leaf and stem of Salvia pratensis L., Salvia glutinosa L. and Salvia aethiopis L. were investigated. The investigated extracts mostly contain monoterpenes to a high degree, except the flower extract of S. pratensis and the leaf extract of S. glutinosa where sesquiterpenes were found in great amounts. Diterpenes were found only in the extracts of S. aethiopis. All these extracts contained 1.8-cineole (to the highest degree (19.1%) in the stem extract of S. glutinosa) and beta-caryophyllene (to the highest degree (7.0%) in the flower extract of S. pratensis). The antimicrobial activities of the extracts were determined by the diffusion and dilution method.