Antimicrobial activity and volatile constituents of the essential oil of Pulsatilla albana from Iran.

The essential oil obtained by hydrodistillation of the aerial flowering parts of Pulsatilla albana (Stev.) Bercht. & Presl. was analyzed by GC and GC/MS. Twenty-five compounds representing 97.5% of oil were identified, among them pulegone (39.1%), piperitenone (17.2%), menthone (16.1%), 1, 8-cineole (8.9%) and p-mentha-3,8-diene (4.2%). In this essential oil oxygenated monoterpenes (87.9%) predominated over monoterpene hydrocarbons (8.3%) and sesquiterpenes (1.3%). Nonterpene hydrocarbons were not found among the identified components. Antibacterial screening of the oil showed moderate activity against certain strains of Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria.