Phytochemical, Antioxidant and Antimicrobial Activity of the Essential Oil from Flowers and Leaves of Achillea millefolium subsp. millefolium

The in vitro antimicrobial and antioxidant activities of the two essential oils from flowers and leaves of Achillea millefolium subsp. millefolium were examined. GC-MS analysis of the essential oils resulted in the identification of sixty and fifty-eight compounds constituting 96.96 % and 98.71 % of the total essential oil of flower and leave, respectively. The essential oil of flowers were characterized by a high number of monoterpenes such as borneol (16.51 %), 1, 8-cineole (9.80 %), camphor (8.37 %), β-pinene (5.31 %) and α- pinene (4.64 %). Borneol (12.32 %), 1,8-cineole (10.51 %), β-pinene (9.33 %) and α-pinene (8.82 %) were the main monoterpenes of the essential oil of leaves. Regarding anti-oxidation, the two investigated essential oils from flowers and leaves strongly reduced the diphenylpicrylhydrazyl radical (IC50 = 0.91 mg/ml and IC50 = 0.94 mg/ml), respectively. These essential oils showed antimicrobial activity as well against Staphylococcus aureus, Salmonella enteritidise, Escherichia coli, Penicillium glaucum and Saccharomyces cervesiae (MIC values 0.45–7.20 mg/ml). This study confirms that the essential oil from flowers and leaves of Achillea millefolium possessed antioxidant and antimicrobial properties in vitro, although the essential oil of flowers resulted in stronger antioxidant and antimicrobial activity than the leaves (P < 0.05).