Objective : The aim of this work is to investigate the antibacterial activity of the essential oil obtained from Artemisia capillaris (A. capillaris), as the development of microbial resistance to antibiotics make it necessary to constantly look for new and active compounds effective against pathogenic bacteria. Methods : The crushed materials of A. capillaris (1 kg) were subjected to steam distillation for 3 h, using a modified Clevenger type apparatus in order to obtain essential oil. Diethyl ether was the extracting solvent kept at 25°.... The essential oil was analyzed by gas chromatography (GC) and gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS). The essential oil and the composition were tested for antimicrobial activities against 15 different genera of oral bacteria. Results and Conclusion : The components of the essential oil identified were: β-pinene (9.36%), camphor (3.32%), 1,8cineole (4.38%), artemisia alcohol (3.32%), β-caryophyllene (11.08%), γ-cadinene (4.23%), and capillene (32.74%). The essential oil of A. capillaris exhibited considerable inhibitory effects against all oral bacteria tested, while their major components demonstrated various degrees of growth inhibition.
