The essential oil from Inula cappa (Buch-Ham. ex. D. Don) DC (Asteraceae), growing wild in the central Himalayan region (India), was analyzed by capillary GC and GC-MS. The sesquiterpene hydrocarbons constituted almost 50% of the oil. Total fifty-four constituents were identified which represented 90.2% of the oil. Î²-Caryophyllene (27.5%), cis-dihydro-mayurone (6.7%), Î²-bisabolene (6.5%) and (E)-Î²-farnesene (5.6%) were found to be the principal constituents. The oil was tested against ten bacterial strains and showed significant activity against Enterococcus faecalis, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Xanthomonas phaseoli, and Bacillus subtilis. This is the first report of bioactivity and essential oil composition from I. cappa.