Chemical Compositions and Antimicrobial Activities of Essential Oils of Varthemia persica, Foeniculum vulgare and Ferula lycia

Aromatic and medicinal plants are widespread throughout world. The experiment was started in season 2010-2011. This experiment was conducted to study the chemical compositions and antimicrobial activities of essential oils of Varthemia persica, Foeniculum vulgare and Ferula lycia. Antibacterial effects of the extracts were tested on 6 Gram-positive and 9 Gram-negative human pathogenic bacteria. The major compounds in the leaves of Varthemia persica, Foeniculum vulgare and Ferula lycia were α-thujene, α-pinene, β-pinene, limonene, menthol, germacrene D, 1,8-cineole, fenchone, linalool, thymol and trans-anethole. The results of the Minimal Inhibiting Concentration (MIC) and Minimum Bactericidal Concentration (MBC) varied from one bacterium to another. The highest and broadest activity was shown by Foeniculum vulgare oil. Thymol and menthol possessed the highest antibacterial activity among the tested components. The results of this study indicated that essential oils of these plants possess some compounds with antimicrobial properties which can be used as antimicrobial agents in new drugs for treatment of infectious diseases.