Essential oils of three species of Heracleum. Anticandidal activity

Fruits of Heracleum crenatifolium Boiss., Heracleum sphondylium L. subsp. ternatum (Velen.) Brummitt, and Heracleum platytaenium Boiss. (Umbelliferae) were hydrodistilled to obtain essential oils that were then analyzed by GC and GC/MS. The major component was identified as octyl acetate (93.7, 87.6 and 31.6% respectively). Octyl butyrate was also characterized as the main component in H. platytaenium oil. Furthermore, anticandidal activity of the oils was evaluated using the microdilution broth method. All the oils showed good inhibitory effects against C. glabrata.