| Summary: | Abstract Background Tripleurospermum disciforme (C.A.Mey.) Sch.Bip., Tanacetum parthenium (L.) Sch.Bip., and Achillea biebersteinii Afan. are the most important species of the Asteraceae family that are used in traditional medicine as antiseptics, analgesics, and anti-ulcers. This study aimed to evaluate and compare the yield, chemical profile, and antibacterial and antifungal properties of the essential oils of these three species for the first time. For this purpose, plant materials were collected in June 2019 from Javinan region (Kashan, Iran). Results Based on the ANOVA results the species had a significant effect on yield, chemical composition, and diameter of the inhibition zone of some microorganisms (P ≤ 0.01). The highest yield belonged to T. disciforme essential oil (~ 1.433%). Analysis of essential oil compounds showed that in T. disciforme, anisole, p-1-cyclohexen-1-yl- (55.95%), modephene (10.00%), and cis-β-farnesene (11.94%), in T. parthenium, camphor (43.43%), camphene (9.40%), and bornyl acetate (6.76%), and in A. biebersteinii linalool (34.49%), p-cymene (15.31%), and α-terpineol (7.43%) were the main and predominant compounds. The highest inhibition zone diameter by the essential oil of T. parthenium and A. biebersteinii against Aspergillus brasiliensis (~ 13 mm) was observed. The strongest inhibitory and lethal activity was related to T. disciforme essential oil against Klebsiella pneumoniae, Shigella dysenteriae, Escherichia coli (~ 8.50 mm), and Candida albicans (MIC and MBC = 62.5 μg/mL), which were equivalent to rifampin and twice as potent as nystatin, respectively. Conclusions Therefore, the essential oil of the studied species of Asteraceae may be a promising and potential strategy for controlling some microorganisms and a possible natural alternative to some antibiotics. Graphic Abstract
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