Chemical composition and antimicrobial activity of Hedyosmum brasiliense Miq., Chloranthaceae, essential oil

Hedyosmum brasiliense Miq., Chloranthaceae, is an endemic species of Brazil, locally known as "cidrao". Although H. brasiliense is popularly used as sedative, chemical constituents of this species remains uncharacterized. This work presents the essential oil composition, obtained by the distillation of fresh leaves and a sample stored for three months, analysed by GC-FID and GC-MS. The inhibitory effects of the essential oil were tested by the agar dilution method against six bacterial species (Bacillus subtilis, Escherichia coli, Proteus mirabilis, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Staphylococcus aureus and S. saprophyticus). In addition, six fungal species (Candida albicans, C. parapsilosis, Microsporum canis, M. gypseum, Trichophyton rubrum and T. mentagrophytes) were included. Among the determined constituents, alpha-terpineol (10.2%), curzerene (8.9%), pinocarvone (8.4%) and beta-thujene (7.1%) were found as the main components. The essential oil has low activity only against Gram-negative microorganisms. However, it is a remarkable active against Gram-positive bacteria and fungi with MIC values ranging from 0.125 to 2.5% (v/v).