| Yemen is a small country located in the southwestern part of the Arabian Peninsula. Yemen's coastal lowlands, eastern plateau and deserts give it a diverse topography, which along with climatic factors make it opulent in flora. Despite the introduction of western medicinal system during the middle of the twentieth century, herbal medicine still plays an important role in Yemen. However, little has been done on the study of the aromatic medicinal plants that have been used through ages to cure and heal diseases. To this end, in collaboration with Deparment of Pharmacognosy, Faculty of Pharmacy, Sana'a University, Yemen the essential oil of thirteen aromatic plants was analysed. The plants under current study are Nepeta deflersiana, Lavandula pubescens, Teucrium yemense, Plectranthus barbatus, Mentha spicata, Stachys yemenensis, Otostegia fruticosa, Origanum majorana, Ocimum basilicum and Artemisia abyssinica. GC-MS was used to study the chemical composition, and samples were tested for their cytotoxic and antimicrobial/antifungal activity. The present study presents the composition and biological activites of these aromatic medicinal plants. |
