Abstract

The essential oils from the aerial parts of Artemisia lavandulaefolia DC., a traditional medicinal plant growing in China, were obtained by hydro distillation and analyzed by gas chromatograph and mass spectrometer  (GC-MS). Fifteen monoterpenes, six sesquiterpenes, three monoterpenoid acetates with two aromatic compounds and two others were identified among twenty-eight compounds, representing 99.69% of the total oils. Eucalyptol (20.62%), Borneol (15.32%), Eudesm-7(11)-en-4-ol (13.81%), Sabinol (9.75%), β-Terpineol (6.86%), trans-Pinocarvyl acetate (6.13%) and α-Terpineol (5.35%) were the major seven compounds in the essential oils. The essential oils displayed significant in vitro antimicrobial activities againstBacillus subtilus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Bacillus cereus1 and Staphylococcus aureuswith minimum inhibitory concentration values range of 125 to 250 μg/ml. The in vitro antioxidant activities were assessed by DPPH radical scavenging and inhibition of lipid peroxidation methods. The oils showed a remarkable free radical scavenging activities, as evidenced by the low IC₅₀ value for DPPH radical (275.7 μg/ml) and inhibition of lipid peroxidation (induced by FeSO₄, H₂O₂ and CCl₄) with IC₅₀ values of 393.6, 562.8 and 297.2 μg/ml, respectively.

Key words: Artemisia lavandulaefolia DC., antioxidant activities, antimicrobial activities, essential oils.