The essential oils obtained by hydrodistillation from the aerial parts of Artemisia judaica L., Artemisia herba-alba Asso. and Artemisia arborescens L. (cultivated) from Libya, were analyzed by GC and GC-MS. The antimicrobial properties were determined using the broth microdilution method against eight bacterial species: Bacillus cereus (clinical isolate), Micrococcus flavus (ATCC10240), Listeria monocytogenes (NCTC7973), Staphylococcus aureus (ATCC6538), Escherichia coli (ATCC35210), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (ATCC27853), Salmonella typhimurium (ATCC13311), Enterobacter cloacae (human isolates) and eight fungal species: Aspergillus niger (ATCC6275), A. ochraceus (ATCC12066), A. versicolor (ATCC11730), A. fumigatus (ATCC1022), Penicillium ochrochloron (ATCC9112), P. funiculosum (ATCC10509), Trichoderma viride (IAM5061) and Candida albicans (human isolate). The major constituents of A. arborescens oil were sesquiterpene hydrocarbons (47.4%). Oxygenated monoterpenes were the dominant constituents in the A. judaica and A. herba-alba oils (54.2% and 77.3%, respectively). Camphor (24.7%) and chamazulene (20.9%) were the major components in the essential oil of A. arborescens, chrysanthenone (20.8%), cis-chrysanthenyl acetate (17.6%) and cis-thujone (13.6%) dominated in the A. herba-alba oil, and the major constituents in the A. judaica oil were piperitone (30.21%) and cis-chrysanthenol (9.1%). The best antimicrobial activity was obtained for A. judaica oil and the lowest effect was noticed in A. arborescens oil. The effect of the tested oils was higher against Gram (+) than Gram (-) bacteria. All three oils showed the best antibacterial activity against Listeria monocytogenes and the lowest against Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Escherichia coli, Enterobacter cloacae, compared to streptomycin and ampicillin. All three oils showed better antifungal activities than ketoconazole, except A. arborescens oil against Aspergillus niger.

Essential oils from leaves with young branches of Cotinus coggygria Scop. from two localities in Serbia (Deliblatska pescara and Zemun), obtained by hydrodistillation, were analyzed by GC-MS. Thirty-one component were identified from both oils and among them monoterpenic hydrocarbons were the dominant class (87.4 and 93.1 %). The dominant constituent in both essential oils was limonene (47.0 and 39.2 %). Both oils were also tested for antibacterial and antifungal activities. In comparison to streptomycin, both oils showed slightly higher activity (against most Gram-positive bacteria) in the disc diffusion method and slightly lower activity when the microdilution method was employed. They also exhibited antifungal potential higher than that of the commercial fungicide bifonazole.

Background: Starting from the idea that unexplored areas may yield new and different ethnobotanical information, we performed a survey of traditional uses of plants in two neighboring districts situated in east Serbia (Bor and Aleksinac), both lacking in previous ethnobotanical reports, but characterized by an interesting history and culture, together with some specific features. In this study, we hypothesized that such small and specific areas could be of high ethnobotanical importance.Methods: Semi-structured interviews were used with 155 informants. Relative cultural importance (RCI) indices, such as the frequency of citation (FC), relative frequency of citation (RFC), relative importance index (RI), informant consensus factor (ICF-FIC), use value (UV), fidelity level (FL) and Jaccard index (JI), were calculated, and principal coordinate analysis (PCoA) was performed.Results: In this study, 2333 use-reports and 114 plants were recorded. Of the 101 medical herbs, 33 are included in the European Pharmacopoeia Edition 8.0. The most frequently used mode of preparation was as an infusion (50.0%), while leaf (44.7%) was the most used plant part. The highest FC and RFC values were recorded forHypericum perforatumL. (13.1 and 0.2, respectively), while the highest RI was documented forUrtica dioicaL. (1.0). ICF and FL indices showed important differences among selected groups of informants. The PCoA showed three homogeneous plant groups. Plants were mostly used for the treatment of digestive (49.1%), circulatory (41.2%) and respiratory system disorders (35.1%). Thirty-seven (32.5%) herbs were used for human nutrition, 14 (12.3%) in veterinary medicine, 17 (14.9%) in rituals and ethnoculture, while 24 (21.0%) for miscellaneous purposes. The highest degree of similarity was determined with studies conducted in close proximity. Four species are new to Balkan ethnobotany. New uses for some well-known plants are highlighted.Conclusion: The study indicated that small and specific areas in the Balkans may be an important reservoir of ethnobotanical knowledge.

In this work, the essential oil of black pine (Pinus nigra J. F. Arnold) was used for the first time as a natural, ecological, and sustainable corrosion inhibitor for the acid cleaning of carbon steel. The essential oil was extracted by hydrodistillation using a Clevenger-type apparatus, and the oil was analyzed by gas chromatography–flame–ionization detection (GC–FID) and gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS). The most abundant components in the essential oil were α-pinene, germacrene D, (E)-cariophyllene, and β-pinene. The inhibition efficiency was determined by electrochemical methods (electrochemical impedance spectroscopy and potentiodynamic polarization measurements). The results showed that the inhibitory efficiency of the black pine essential oil increases with time, reaching the highest values after 4 h of immersion for all inhibitor concentrations. It was also shown that black pine essential oil is a mixed-type inhibitor. The contact angle measurements confirmed that the black pine essential oil, as a new natural, environmentally safe inhibitor, is able to protect carbon steel from corrosion in a 1 M HCl solution.