Chemical composition and antimicrobial activity of the essential oil from Ambrosia trifida L.

The essential oil obtained by steam distillation of dried aerial parts of Ambrosia trifida L. from Northeast China was analyzed by GC and GC-MS. The essential oil yield based on dried plant material was 0.12% and thirty-five compounds (corresponding to 86.7% of the total weight) were identified. The main components were: bornyl acetate (15.5%), borneol (8.5%), caryophyllene oxide (8.3%), alpha-pinene (8.0%), germacrene D (6.3%), beta-caryophyllene (4.6%), trans-carveol (2.9%), beta-myrcene (2.6%), camphor (2.4%) and limonene (3.2%). A. trifida essential oil demonstrated bactericidal and fungicidal activity against six bacterial strains and two fungal strains, using the agar diffusion method.