The Lauraceae is a family rich in aromatic and medicinal plants. Likewise, essential oils derived from members of this family have demonstrated a myriad of biological activities. It is hypothesized that members of the Lauraceae from Vietnam will yield essential oils that may be useful in controlling mosquito populations and treating microbial infections. In this work, the leaf essential oils of eleven species of Lauraceae (Beilschmiedia erythrophloia, B. robusta, B. yunnanensis, Cryptocarya concinna, C. impressa, C. infectoria, Litsea viridis, Machilus balansa, M. grandifolia, Neolitsea ellipsoidea, and Phoebe angustifolia) have been obtained by hydrodistillation and the chemical compositions analyzed by gas chromatography – mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and gas chromatography with flame ionization detection (GC-FID). The essential oils were screened for larvicidal activity against Aedes aegypti, Ae. albopictus, and Culex quinquefasciatus, and for antimicrobial activity against Enterococcus faecalis, Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus cereus, Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Salmonella enterica, and Candida albicans. The leaf essential oil of N. ellipsoidea, rich in (E)-β-ocimene (87.6%), showed excellent larvicidal activity against Ae. aegypti with a 24 h LC₅₀ of 6.59 μg/mL. The leaf essential oil of C. infectoria, dominated by germacrene D (55.5%) and bicyclogermacrene (11.4%), exhibited remarkable larvicidal activity against Cx. quinquefasciatus (48 h LC₅₀ = 0.40 μg/mL). N. ellipsoidea leaf essential oil also demonstrated notable antibacterial activity against E. faecalis and B. cereus with minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) values of 16 μg/mL, while the leaf essential oil of C. impressa showed excellent anticandidal with an MIC of 16 μg/mL. Leaf essential oils from the Lauraceae should be considered for utilization as alternative agents for controlling mosquito populations and as antimicrobial agents.

Members of the genus Cinnamomum (Lauraceae) have aromatic volatiles in their leaves and bark and some species are commercially important herbs and spices. In this work, the essential oils from five species of Cinnamomum (C. damhaensis, C. longipetiolatum, C. ovatum, C. polyadelphum and C. tonkinense) growing wild in north central Vietnam were obtained by hydrodistillation, analyzed by gas chromatography and screened for antimicrobial and mosquito larvicidal activity. The leaf essential oil of C. tonkinense, rich in β-phellandrene (23.1%) and linalool (32.2%), showed excellent antimicrobial activity (MIC of 32 μg/mL against Enterococcus faecalis and Candida albicans) and larvicidal activity (24 h LC₅₀ of 17.4 μg/mL on Aedes aegypti and 14.1 μg/mL against Culex quinquefasciatus). Cinnamomum polyadelphum leaf essential oil also showed notable antimicrobial activity against Gram-positive bacteria and mosquito larvicidal activity, attributable to relatively high concentrations of neral (11.7%) and geranial (16.6%). Thus, members of the genus Cinnamomum from Vietnam have shown promise as antimicrobial agents and as potential vector control agents for mosquitoes.

This study evaluates the chemical composition and bioactivities of essential oils extracted from the leaves and twigs of Glycosmis lanceolata growing in a natural forest in Vietnam. gas chromatography–mass spectrometry identified 42 and 43 constituents in the leaf and twig oils, respectively. The main compounds in the leaf oil were (E)-β-caryophyllene (10.2%), β-bisabolene (23.7%), and brevifolin (21.3%), while the twig oil was dominated by β-bisabolene (11.6%) and brevifolin (12.7%). Neither oil exhibited inhibitory effects against two beneficial bacterial strains, Bacillus subtilis and Lactobacillus fermentum. In contrast, both oils showed weak antimicrobial activity against four pathogenic bacteria—Staphylococcus aureus, Salmonella enterica, Escherichia coli, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa—and one yeast, Candida albicans, with IC₅₀ values ranging from 2012 ± 118 to 10,593 ± 557 µg/mL. Notably, the twig oil demonstrated pronounced anti-inflammatory activity via inhibition of nitric oxide production (IC₅₀ = 29.7 ± 2.58 µg/mL), whereas the leaf oil showed no detectable activity within the tested concentrations. Similarly, DPPH radical scavenging assays indicated stronger antioxidant activity for the twig oil compared to the leaf oil. These findings provide new insights into the phytochemistry and bioactivities of G. lanceolata essential oils and may support further investigations into their potential applications.

This study evaluates the chemical composition and bioactivities of essential oils extracted from the leaves and twigs of Glycosmis lanceolata growing in a natural forest in Vietnam. Gas chromatography identified 42 and 43 constituents in the leaf and twig oils, respectively. The main compounds in the leaf oil were (E)-β-caryophyllene (10.2%), β-bisabolene (23.7%), and brevifolin (21.3%). While the twig oil was dominated by β-bisabolene (11.6%) and brevifolin (12.7%). Neither oil exhibited inhibitory effects against two beneficial bacterial strains, Bacillus subtilis and Lactobacillus fermentum. In contrast, both oils showed weak antimicrobial activity against four pathogenic bacteria—Staphylococcus aureus, Salmonella enterica, Escherichia coli, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa—and one yeast Candida albicans, with IC₅₀ values ranging from 2012 ± 118 to 10,593 ± 557 µg/mL. Notably, the twig oil demonstrated pronounced anti-inflammatory activity via inhibition of nitric oxide production (IC₅₀ = 29.7 ± 2.58 µg/mL), whereas the leaf oil showed no detectable activity within the tested concentrations. Similarly, DPPH radical scavenging assays indicated stronger antioxidant activity for the twig oil compared to the leaf oil. These findings provide new insights into the phytochemistry and bioactivity of G. lanceolata essential oils and highlight their potential for further development in pharmaceutical, cosmetic, and food applications.

Medicinal plants grown outside their native forest habitat may produce phytochemical profiles that differ from wild-harvested material, yet the ecological mechanisms underlying these differences remain poorly synthesized across disciplines. This review proposes that the forest understory functions as a multi-signal elicitation system in which canopy light filtering, arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF), and above-ground biotic interactions collectively shape secondary metabolite profiles. AMF-mediated induced systemic resistance and above-ground biotic interactions operate through confirmed jasmonate-mediated pathways. Sunfleck-driven reactive oxygen species signaling is hypothesized but untested, and the red-to-far-red ratio modulated phytochrome B pathway characterized in Arabidopsis remains unconfirmed in shade-tolerant species. Using three saponin-rich medicinal plants (Panax vietnamensis, Panex quinquefolius, and Paris polyphylla) as case studies, we formalize this as a testable chemical terroir hypothesis with three falsifiable predictions. We also translate it into an ecological co-cultivation design principle with three production levels and a two-step operational framework, and identify priority experiments, analytical methods, and implementation challenges needed for validation. These contributions bridge forest ecology and medicinal plant science while identifying critical evidence gaps requiring resolution before field implementation.

Medicinal plants grown outside their native forest habitat may produce phytochemical profiles that differ from wild-harvested material, yet the ecological mechanisms underlying these differences remain poorly synthesized across disciplines. This review proposes that the forest understory functions as a multi-signal elicitation system in which canopy light filtering, arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF), and above-ground biotic interactions collectively shape secondary metabolite profiles. AMF-mediated induced systemic resistance and above-ground biotic interactions operate through confirmed jasmonate-mediated pathways. Sunfleck-driven reactive oxygen species signaling is hypothesized but untested, and the red-to-far-red ratio modulated phytochrome B pathway characterized in Arabidopsis remains unconfirmed in shade-tolerant species. Using three saponin-rich herbs (Panax vietnamensis, P. ginseng/P. quinquefolius, and Paris polyphylla) as case studies, we formalize this as a testable chemical terroir hypothesis with three falsifiable predictions. We also translate it into an ecological co-cultivation design principle with three production levels and a two-step operational framework, and identify priority experiments, analytical methods, and implementation challenges needed for validation. These contributions bridge forest ecology and medicinal plant science while identifying critical evidence gaps requiring resolution before field implementation.