Abstract
Essential oils are natural products characterized by a strong odor and formed by aromatic plants as secondary metabolites. The features differentiating these aromatic plants from all others, in spite of the fact that they belong to many different families, are the production of chemically related secondary compounds, the low molecular weight, and the presence of volatile isoprenoids. We studied the composition of 12 Mediterranean essential oils, evaluating their antibacterial, antifungal, mutagenic, antioxidative, and cytotoxic properties, and we also evaluated their possible properties for use in agricultural practices. The nutraceutical characteristics of aromatic plants are discussed.