Essential oil composition and antimicrobial activity of Salvia sahendica Boiss & Buhse. in different phenological stage

The objective of this study was the isolation and identificaion of essential oil constituents of Salvia sahendica. The antimicrobial activity of the essential oil was also investigated. The aerial parts of the plant were collected in different phenological stages in 2004 from Sahand Mountain (East Azerbayjan Province, Tabriz). The essential oil of S. sahendica was isolated by hydro-distillation in vegetative, floral budding and full flowering stages. Oils were analyzed by GC and GC/MS methods. The components of the oil were identified by comparison of their mass spectra with those of a computer library or with authentic compounds and confirmed by comparison of their retention indices, either with those of authentic samples or with data published in the literature. Antibacterial activities of the essential oils were tested against seven Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria and evaluated by disc diffusion method using Mueller-Hinton agar with determination of inhibition zones. In all samples ?-pinene, ?-pinene, bicyclogermacrene, sabinene and linalool were the major components but with slightly different percentages. The result of bioassay showed that the oil inhibited the growth of all examined bacteria except for Pseudomonas aeruginosa that was resistant to oil samples. The essential oil composition and the observed antibacterial properties show that the oil has a good potential for use in aromatherapy and pharmacy, and support the popular uses of this plant in the folk medicine in Iran.