Antimicrobial activity and composition of the volatiles of Cinnamomum tamala Nees. and Murraya koenigii (L.) Spreng. from Uttarakhand (India)

ObjectiveTo examine the composition of Cinnamomum tamala and Murraya koenigii essential oils and their antimicrobial activities against nine microbial strains.MethodsEssential oils were obtained by hydrodistillation from the leaves of two spice trees and were analyzed by GC and GC/MS. The oils were also tested for their antimicrobial activity using broth micro dilution method.ResultsCinnamaldehyde (37.85%) and cis-linalool oxide (29.99%) were the main components characterized in the oil of C. tamala, whereas α-pinene (39.93%), sabinene (13.31%) and trans-caryophyllene (9.02%) detected as the major constituents in M. koenigii oil. C. tamala oil exhibited significant antifungal activity and satisfactory antibacterial activity, while lesser antimicrobial activity was observed in M. koenigii oil.ConclusionsThe present study suggested that C. tamala oil was more effective against bacterial and fungal strains as compared with M. koenghii oil.