ABSTRACT
Several plants that are enriched with therapeutic phytochemicals have been used for obtaining essential oils (EOs) for centuries. EOs are plant-based metabolites that are synthesized during the secondary metabolic process to produce complex volatile compounds. Due to their diverse and complex chemical nature, EOs offer broad-spectrum antimicrobial activities mainly to inhibit the growth of several bacterial, fungal, and viral pathogens. These complex volatile components having significant antimicrobial activity are present in the form of terpenoidal, aldehyde, phenolics, and other components to offer broad-spectrum antimicrobial activity against a diverse range of pathogens. Due to the diverse biological properties offered by an array of chemical compounds present in EOs, they have gained consumer for use in the treatment of various human pathologies. Herein, we present an overview of the pharmacological properties of EOs along with their mechanism of action.
