Chemical Composition and Biological Activities of Essential Oil from the Rhizomes of Iris bulleyana

Iris bulleyana has long been used as a remedy for detoxication and detumescence. Hydrodistillation was used to extract the essential oil from its rhizomes, and 0.23% oil yield was obtained. Using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis, 31 chemicals including aristolone, cuparene, β-gurjunene, δ-amorphene, α-muurolene, α-cadinol, camphor, γ-elemene, and τ-cadinol were identified. The essential oil exhibited antibacterial activity against Acetobacter calcoacetica, Bacillus subtillis, Clostridium sporogenes, Clostridium perfringens, Escherichia coli, Salmonella typhii, Staphylococcus aureus, and Yersinia enterocolitica. Its antifungal and antioxidant activities were also tested.