Composition and antimicrobial activity of the essential oil of Hypericum maculatum Crantz

For the first time the composition of the essential oil of Hypericum maculatum Crantz has been determined by GC and GC–MS. The oil consisted of a large number of components in low percentages. Only five components exceeded a 5% level: β‐farnesene (10.0%), n‐undecane (8.2%), β‐caryophyllene (7.6%), δ‐cadinene (7.2%) and γ‐muurolene (5.2%). The oil showed strong antimicrobiological activity against Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Salmonella enteritidis, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Bacillus subtilis, Sarcina lutea, Aspergillus niger and Candida albicans, documented in vitro by MIC and MMC values.