Antimicrobial properties of Camellia Oils

Camellias have been used in oriental ethnomedicine and appears very promising for pharmaceutical exploitation since modern science has made it possible to specify their potencial medical significance with antimicrobial, antioxidant, anti-allergic, antiviral and skin healing properties. In the present study oils obtained from seeds of several Camellia species were studied for their antimicrobial activities using clinically isolated bacterial and yeast strains. All the oils evidenced antimicrobial activity, and showed different selectivity and MICs for each microorganism tested. Obtained results indicate that the tested Camellia oils acted best in relation to Gram (-) bacteria than Gram (+). The data obtained in the in vitro models clearly establish the antimicrobial potency of all Camellia oils.