The genus Phlomis L. (Labiatae) comprises 12 species that are naturalised in Europe. Phlomis lanata is a shrub up to 55 cm high, endemic in the island of Crete (Greece) [1]. Phlomis species are mentioned by Dioskorid [2] as a herbal drugs.

Phlomis lanata was collected during the flowering stage (June) on Mountain Yuhta near Heraklion (Crete). The essential oil was obtained by hydrodistillation. The oil analysis was carried out using GC/MS and the chemical composition of the volatile metabolites was determined.

Forty eight compounds were identified and the main components of the essential oil were: a-pinene (25.41%), limonene (15.67%) and trans-caryophyllene (8.76%). The in vitro antimicrobial activity of the essential oil was tested against six Gram bacteria (±) and three pathogenic fungi, using the dilution technique [3]. The oil showed a moderate activity, which can be attributed to a considerable degree to the existence of a-pinene, which appears to possess a similar activity against all the tested microorganisms, as limonene appeared inactive at all.

References

1. De Filipps R.A. (1972): In: Flora Europea, (Tutin T.G., Heywood V.H., Burges N. A., Moore D.M., Valentine, S.M., and Webb D.A., eds), Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 3, p. 145.
2. Gennadios P.G (1914): Phytological Dictionary, Trohalia ed., (reprinted 1997) Athens, p. 999.
3. Janssen A.M., Scheffer J.J.C. and Baerheim Svendsen: (1987) Planta Medica. p. 395.