Abstract The essential oil from the aerial parts of Salvia leucantha Cav. (Lamiaceae) was analyzed by GC, GC/MS and NMR spectroscopy. The oil was found rich in sesquiterpene hydrocarbons; Î²-caryophyllene (13.9%), Î±-guaiene (12.6%), cis-muurola-3,5-diene (10.8%), germacrene D (13.8%) and bicyclogermacrene (8.7%). Bornyl acetate constituted 23.9% of the oil. This is the first detailed report on the essential oil composition based on capillary GC and GC/MS analyses.