Abstract The chemical constituents and antimicrobial activity of Nerium oleander oil have been investigated. Nerium oleander is an evergreen small tree in the family Apocynaceae. For many years Nerium oleander has been mentioned in ancient texts and folklore medicine. All parts of the plant have been used in ethnomedicne. The leave juice is used against eye diseases and snake bite. Bark is expectorant, diuretic, emetic and heart tonic. GC- MS analysis of Nerium oleander oil revealed the presence of three major constituents: 9,12-octadecenoic acid methyl ester (34.95%) ; hexadecanoic acid methyl ester (24.85% ); methyl stearate (9.66%); 9-octadecenoic acid (Z)-, methyl ester (7.69%) and 9,12,15-octadecatrienoic acid, methyl ester, (Z,Z,Z)-(6.36%). The oil has been evaluated for antimicrobial activity using the cup-plate agar diffusion method. Nerium oleander oil showed moderate activity against all test organisms with the exception of the fungal species Candida albicans.
Keywords Nerium oleander, Oil, Constituents, Antimicrobial Activity.