Contribution to the Study ofPlectranthus fruticosusLeaf Essential Oil

Abstract
The essential oil of Plectranthus fruticosus L'Hérit. (Labiatae) is shown to contain at least fifty components, among which the major one, i.e. sabinyl acetate, accounts for more than 60% of the total. To our knowledge, this compound is described in Labiatae at such a high concentration for the first time. A preliminary study on rats reveals that this essential oil is teratogenic and/or highly foetotoxic.