Anticandidial activity of some essential oils of a mega biodiversity hotspot in India.

Six essential oils viz. Eucalyptus citriodora, Cymbopogon citratus, Callistemon lanceolatus, Cinnamomum camphora, Citrus limon, Tagetes petula, as well as two standard antibiotics, miconazole and clotrimazole, were tested in vitro for their anticandidial activity. All these essential oils exhibited higher activity than the two synthetic antibiotics. Highest zone of inhibition was recorded in E. citriodora (8.50 mm microl-1) followed by C. lanceolatus (5.63 mm microl-1) establishing their promising anticandidial potential.