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DOI: 10.1055/s-2008-1075315
Biological Activities and Composition of Essential Oils from the Plants Grown in the Medicinal Plant Garden at the National Center for Natural Products Research
Medicinal plants are basic resources for human health. Interest in and demand for traditional remedies and plant-based health products or botanicals are increasing worldwide. According to the World Health Organization, as many as 80% of the world's populaton depend on traditional medicine for their primary health care needs. Most traditional medicine therapies involve the use of plant extracts or their active components. The Medicinal Plant Garden at the NCNPR joins with leading botanical institutes around the world to conserve medicinally important plants and conduct research on taxonomy, biology, cultivation, safety and efficacy of plant based products. Essential oils were obtained from 14 different medicinal plant species belonging to 7 families. Samples for the essential oil composition study were obtained from the cultivated collection at the Medicinal Plant Garden. Harvested samples were air-dried and processed to preserve volatile oils and their constituents. All samples were subjected to water distillation using a Clevenger-type apparatus to obtain essential oils. Essential oils were analyzed by gas chromatography (GC) and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) techniques. Essential oils were also evaluated for their antimalarial and antimicrobial activities against human pathogenic bacteria and fungi, and antifungal activities against fungal plant pathogenic Colletotrichum species.