title: Report on the Medicinal Use of Eleven Lamiaceae Species in Lebanon and Rationalization of Their Antimicrobial Potential by Examination of the Chemical Composition and Antimicrobial Activity of Their Essential Oils.
abstract: Many Lamiaceae species are consumed in the Lebanese cuisine as food or condiment and are largely used in the traditional medicine of Lebanon to treat various diseases, including microbial infections. In this article we report the traditional medicinal uses of eleven Lamiaceae species:Coridothymus capitatusL.,Lavandula stoechasL.,Lavandula angustifoliaMill.,Mentha spicataL. subsp.condensata,Origanum syriacumL.,Rosmarinus officinalis,Salvia fruticosaMiller.,Satureja cuneifoliaTen.,Satureja thymbraL.,Thymbra spicataL., andVitex agnus-castusL. and study the chemical composition and antimicrobial activity of their essential oils (EOs). Our survey showed that Lamiaceae species are mainly used against gastrointestinal disorders and microbial infections. Chemical analysis of the EOs obtained from these plants allowed us to identify seventy-five compounds describing more than 90% of the relative composition of each EO. Essential oils with high amounts of thymol and carvacrol possessed the strongest antimicrobial activity. As expected, these two compounds demonstrated an interesting antifungal efficacy against the filamentous fungusT. rubrum. Our results confirmed that some of the Lamiaceae species used in Lebanon ethnopharmacological practices as antimicrobial agents do possess antibacterial and antifungal potential consistent with their use in alternative or complementary medicine.
authors.affiliation: CNRS, Institut de Chimie des Substances Naturelles, UPR 2301, 1 Avenue de la Terrasse, 91198 Gif-sur-Yvette, France; Department of Agricultural Sciences, Holy Spirit University of Kaslik, Kaslik, B.P. 446, Jounieh, Lebanon.
authors.forename: Madona
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Khoury
authors.affiliation: CNRS, Institut de Chimie des Substances Naturelles, UPR 2301, 1 Avenue de la Terrasse, 91198 Gif-sur-Yvette, France; Sorbonne Universités, UPMC Univ Paris 06, CNRS, Laboratoire de Biodiversité et Biotechnologies Microbiennes (LBBM), Observatoire Océanologique, 66650 Banyuls-sur-mer, France.
authors.forename: Didier
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-9950-5361
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Stien
authors.affiliation: CNRS, Institut de Chimie des Substances Naturelles, UPR 2301, 1 Avenue de la Terrasse, 91198 Gif-sur-Yvette, France.
authors.forename: Véronique
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Eparvier
authors.affiliation: Department of Agricultural Sciences, Holy Spirit University of Kaslik, Kaslik, B.P. 446, Jounieh, Lebanon.
authors.forename: Naïm
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Ouaini
authors.affiliation: Department of Agricultural Sciences, Holy Spirit University of Kaslik, Kaslik, B.P. 446, Jounieh, Lebanon.
authors.forename: Marc
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-4909-4154
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: El Beyrouthy