Abstract
Rosa damascena Mill. a plant from Rosaceae family is traditionally used for treatment of many disorders especially against infectious diseases. The antimicrobial activity of R. damascena oil was determined against a large number of microorganisms including Gram positive and Gram negative bacteria, yeast and filamentous by micro broth dilution assay. The oil was analyzed by GC and GC-MS. Chemical composition of oil revealed the presence of β-citronellol (48.2 %), geraniol (17.0 %), β-phenylethyl benzoate (5.4 %) and phenyl ethyl alcohol (5.1 %) as the main components. The MIC values of oil were in the ranges of 0.125–1 μl/ml. Enterococcus faecalis, Enterococcus faecium, Salmonella typhimurium and Pseudomonas aeruginosa were less sensitive to R. damascena oil. The oil exhibited the antimicrobial activity against a large number of microorganisms especially against Proteus vulgaris and Klebsiella pneumonia. This oil could be used as a natural antimicrobial agent in treatment of infectious diseases; more clinical studies should be done for demonstration of its efficacy.