The main chemical composition and in vitro antifungal activity of the essential oils of Ocimum basilicum Linn. var. pilosum (Willd.) Benth

Abstract

The essential oils of the aerial parts of Ocimum basilicum Linn. var. pilosum (Willd.) Benth., an endemic medicinal plant growing in China, was obtained by hydrodistillation and analysed by GC-MS. Fifteen compounds, representing 74.19% of the total oil were identified. The main components were as follows: linalool (29.68%), (Z)-cinnamic acid methyl ester (21.49%), cyclohexene (4.41%), α- cadinol (3.99%), 2,4-diisopropenyl-1-methyl-1- vinylcyclohexane (2.27%), 3,5-pyridine-dicarboxylic acid, 2,6-dimethyl-diethyl ester (2.01%), β-cubebene (1.97%), guaia-1(10),11-diene (1.58%), cadinene (1.41%) (E)-cinnamic acid methyl ester (1.36%) and β-guaiene (1.30%). The essential oils showed significant antifungal activity against some plant pathogenic fungi. © 2009 by the authors; licensee Molecular Diversity Preservation International.