Antimicrobial essential oils of Bunium elegans and Bunium caroides

The essential oils of two plants of the genus Bunium called the common name "Zireh" in Persian have been analyzed using GC, GC/MS and 13C NMR spectroscopy. The oils were subjected to antibacterial activity tests. The essential oils have been extracted using hydro-distillation method. The Oils were subjected to analytical GC and GC/MS. The components of the oils were identified using GC retention indices and mass spectra. Identification of the main components was confirmed by NMR spectral data. The oils were then subjected to antibacterial test against Bacillus subtilis by agar disk diffusion method. The oils were found to be rich in sesquiterpenoids such as garmacrene D and caryophyllene and phenyl propanoids e.g. myristicin and dill apiol. In this paper, we will compare the constituents of the oils of B. elegans and B. caroides. The results show that the oils have similar constituents and this indicates that the plants are taxonomically similar.