Essential oil of is active against mycobacteria.

There is critical need for new therapeutic options for treatment of diseases caused by mycobacteria. essential oils (EOs) and crude extracts (CEs) were tested for their anti- and anti-nontuberculous mycobacteria activity. Minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of EOs ranged from 15.63 to 62.5 μg/ml against and 62.5 to >250 μg/ml against nontuberculous mycobacteria. CEs showed low activity. All EO tested demonstrated synergism with antituberculosis drugs. The cytotoxicity of EOs and CEs, in different cell lines, showed selectivity index from 2.2 to 9.8 and >0.056 to 2.0, respectively. EOs are a candidate for the development of new therapeutic options in the treatment of tuberculosis and other mycobacterial diseases.