The effects of Cymbopogon citratus essential oil (Lemongrass oil) and its main component, citral (84.30%), on antibiotic-susceptible and -resistant strains of Salmonella enteritidis and S. typhimurium were assessed. C. citratus oil and citral significantly inhibited all strains of the two Salmonella species examined, with minimum inhibiting concentrations (MICs) ranging from 0.5 mg/ml to 8.0 mg/ml. The combined effects of C. citratus oil and citral (84.30%) were evaluated using a checkerboard microtiter assay. Essential oil fractions of C. citratus and citral exhibited strong synergistic or additive effects with streptomycin or kanamycin against S. typhimurium strains with fractional inhibitory concentration (FIC) indices in the range of 0.28 to 1.00. In conclusion, a combination of streptomycin and lemongrass oil or its main component, citral, may be useful for reducing the minimum effective dose of antibiotic required for the treatment of resistant S. typhimurium infections.