the apiaceae species are largely used in folk medicine to treat many diseases, including microbial infections. the essential oils (eos) of prangos asperula boiss., daucus carota l. subsp. maximus, ferula elaeochytris korovin and smyrnium olusatrum l. were analysed by gc, gc-ms and nmr. the major components were as follows: sabinene (29.8%) and -phellandrene (19.2%) were found in the p. asperula fruit oil; -pinene (27.4%) and carotol (26.3%) were found in the d. carota flower oil; -pinene (71.8%) was the major compound in the f. elaeochytris fruit oil; and the s. olusatrum flowerings tops eo was mainly composed of furanodiene (44.6%) and furanoeremophil-1-one (28.5%). d. carota and s. olusatrum were the most active oils especially against staphylococcus aureus and the dermatophytes; the mic values ranged from 8 to 64 g/ml. some of these eos constituents hold promising antimicrobial potentials, confirming the traditional medical use of the plants.