Résumé:
Eucalyptus and Laurus nobilis are medicinal plants known for their healing properties. They are
abundant and continually proliferating in Algeria. The aim of this study is to investigate the possibility
of using the essential oil extracted from the leaves of these two natural sources as an antimicrobial
agent. The antimicrobial activity of these two essential oils was evaluated: Eucalyptus at 0.47% yield
and Laurus nobilis at 0.42% yield, was evaluated on Gram-positive pathogenic bacterial strains:
Staphylococcus aureus and on Gram-negative bacterial strains: Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas
aeruginosa, Citrobacter sp and on a yeast: Candida albicans, by a laboratory study of their various
parameters. The disc diffusion method was used for solid media and partial dilution for liquid media.
Laurel oil is the most effective against C. albicans, while Eucalyptus oil is effective against E. coli. The
antibiotic shows average effectiveness against the bacteria tested, with the exception of C. albicans,
against which it is ineffective. In the end, eucalyptus oil was found to be more effective than laurel oil.
These results prove that Eucalyptus leaf essential oil and Laurus nobilis leaf essential oil have promising
antibacterial activity against a broad spectrum of Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria and yeast.
This opens up the possibility of its potential use as an alternative to antibiotics in the fight against
microbial infections.
