Essential Oils

Indiscriminate use of antibiotics for the control of pathogenic bacteria has increased their resistance to antibiotics. Multidrug-resistant bacteria are an increasing problem in the recent years and pose serious therapeutic difficulties because of their higher level of resistance. An alternative to this serious problem is to use essential oils of diverse plants for bacterial control. Most of the studies have focused on in vitro testing of the antimicrobial property of these oils and even have compared the use of these oils against commercial antibiotics. In this chapter, essential oils are defined, as well as other related aspects such as sources of essential oils, antimicrobial activity of each essential oil, and their applications as a natural alternative are also discussed.