Chemical Composition and Antibacterial Activity of the Essential Oil of Centella asiatica. Growing in South Africa

Figures & data

Table 1. Chemical composition of the essential oil of C. asiatica..

KI^a.	Constituents	% Composition
935	α.-Thjuene	0.20
940	α.-Pinene	3.49
962	Camphene	0.86
984	β.-Pinene	0.37
994	Myrcene	6.55
1005	α.-Phellandrene	0.19
1019	α.-Terpinene	0.47
1033	p.-Cymene	0.71
1038	Limonene	1.00
1061	γ.-Terpinene	5.77
1096	Terpinolene	0.59
1101	Linalool	0.20
1150	3-Nonen-2-one	0.49
1162	Menthone	1.43
1199	Terpinen-4-ol	0.24
1235	Methyl thymol	0.22
1248	Pulegone	0.21
1250	Methyl carvacrol	0.64
1266	Chrysanthenyl acetate	0.59
1291	Bornyl acetate	1.44
1341	Bicycloelemene	0.62
1391	β.-Elemene	1.99
1442	β.-Caryophyllene	19.08
1456	γ.-Elemene	1.58
1470	Aromadendrene	0.20
1483	α.-Humulene	21.06
1484	allo.-Aromadendrene	0.45
1485	Germacrene D	4.01
1486	γ.-Curcumene	1.48
1494	Bicyclogermacrene	11.22
1495	Germacrene A	0.24
1523	δ.-Cadinene	0.34
1551	Germacrene B	6.29
1576	Spauthulenol	1.44
1588	Caryophyllene oxide	1.66
1590	Viridiflorol	0.26
1592	Humulene epoxide	0.27
1645	Isopauthenol	0.27
1748	Mintsulfide	0.76
1840	Neophytadiene	0.24
	Total (%)	99.12

^a. = Calculated retention time (Kovát indices) on an HB-5 capillary column at 5°/min from 70 to 240°C.

Table 2. Antibacterial activity of the essential oil of C. asiatica..

	Minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC)
Bacterial species	Essential oil (5 mg/ml)	Streptomycin (25 µg/ml)	Chloramphenicol (10 µg/ml)	Hexane (40 µl)	Acetone (40 µl)
Gram positive
Bacillus subtilis.	1.250	+	+	−	−
Staphylococcus aureus.	1.250	+	+	−	−
Gram negative
Escherichia coli.	0.039	−	+	−	−
Pseudomonas aeruginosa.	0.313	−	+	−	−
Shigella sonnei.	0.625	−	+	−	−

Inhibition of bacterial growth (+); no inhibition of growth (−).