Constituents and antimicrobial activity of the essential oils from flower, leaf and stem of Helichrysum armenium.

The chemical constituents from the flower, leaf and stem of Helichrysum armenium DC. (Asteraceae) growing in Iran were obtained by hydrodistillation and analyzed by GC and GC/MS. The oil of flower was characterized by higher amount of limonene (21.2%), alpha-cadinol (18.2%), borneol (11.9%), delta-cadinene (9.0%), bornyl acetate (8.0%) and alpha-humulene (7.3%). Twenty one constituents representing 96.2% of the chromatographical leaf oil were identified of which limonene (29.2%), alpha-pinene (14.4%), caryophyllene oxide (6.5%), alpha-gurjunene (6.3%), bornyl acetate (5.5%) and torreyol (5.2%) were the major components. The main components of the stem oil were limonene (23.6%), alpha-pinene (13.4%), spathulenol (6.4%), alpha-gurjunene (6.3%), caryophyllene oxide (5.3%), bornyl acetate (5.2%), beta-cubebene (4.8%) and delta-cadinene (4.3%). The composition of the oils is different, although the most abundant components are identical in leaf oil (96.2%). The antimicrobial effect of flower, leaf and stem essential oils from Helichrysum armenium was studied according to the agar diffusion cup method. The essential oils had a moderate effect on the Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria and had a substantial fungicidal effect on the fungi under study.