The Chemical Composition and Antimicrobial Activity of the Leaf Oil of Vitex agnus-castus L.

Vitex agnus-castus L. leaf oil, which was obtained by hydrodistillation in very low yield (0.023%), was analysed by gas chromatography and combined gas chromatography/mass spectrometry. Thirty-one compounds were identified in the oil (94.8%), of which the major components were 1, 8-cineole (50.9%), sabinene (10.8%), α-pinene (9.0%), terpinen-4-ol (4.8%), p-cymene (4.2%), limonene (2.5%) and α-terpineol (2.3%). Eight sesquiterpene hydrocarbons (2.8%) and four sesquiterpene alcohols (2.4%) were also characterized in the same oil. The oil was found to demonstrate moderate antibacterial activity against Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Bacillus subtilis and Staphylococcus aureus.