Material and Methods: The essential oils (EOs) from aerial parts of wild and cultivated T. kotschyanus were investigated by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS). Antibacterial activity of (EOs) and methanol extracts were tested against bacteria by disc diffusion method and determining of their minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) values by agar dilution method and antioxidant activity by DPPH and FRAP assays.

Results: Thirty-five components were identified representing more than 90% of the total oil constituents. The oils were dominated by monoterpene hydrocarbons (50.2%) for wild type and oxygenated monoterpenes (63.38%) for cultivated type. The major components in the oils of the wild type were; thymol (29.96%), p-cymene (21.35%) and α-pinene (12.72%) and for the cultivated type were; thymol (47.48%) and α-pinene (5.49%). The MIC values of bacterial strains, which were sensitive to the EO of T. kotschyanus, were in the range of 2-128 μg/mL in wild type and 2-16 μg/mL in cultivated type.

Conclusion: Our data shows that, cultivation significantly affects the EOs’ chemical composition and antioxidant potential of T. kotschyanus. They signify a reasonable source of natural antibacterial substances that exhibited potential as a drug for use in pathogenic bacteria.