Antimicrobial activity of essential oil of leonotis nepetaefolia

The essential oil of Leonotis nepetaefolia (Family - Labiatae) was tested for its antibacterial activity against both Gram positive and Gram negative bacteria and found to be moderately active excepting Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The essential oil also was found to be inhibitory to dermatophytic fungi and suppressive to other aerial fungi. Hence the oil may be quite useful in skin infection due to dermatophytes even with secondary bacterial infections.