abstractessential oils were extracted from the roots and leaves of cnidium officinale makino (umbelliferae) cultivated in three different districts of korea. extraction was carried out by steam distillation, and the composition of the essential oils was analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (gc-ms). the extracted oils were compared between different samples. the antibacterial properties of the essential oils and their main components were determined against twelve antibiotic-susceptible or -resistant food-borne pathogenic bacteria. no distinct differences in composition of the essential oils from the rhizomes were found depending upon from which of the three districts the plant was cultivated. in contrast, their composition differed markedly depending on from which part of the plant the oil came, specifically the leaves versus the rhizomes. all of the essential oil fractions and their main component, z-ligustilide, inhibited the growth of all of the bacterial strains tested, except for yersinia enterocolitica, and had minimum inhibiting concentrations (mics) ranging from 0.5 to 4.0 mg/ml. in addition, the cell viability of caco-2 and mkn-45 cancer cell lines was not altered following exposure to the oils at concentrations between 10 and 160 g/ml.keywords: cnidium officinaleessential oilleavesrhizomesantibacterialfood-bornez-ligustilidecaco-2mkn-45