Cutaneous leishmaniasis is the most common form of leishmaniasis that is still treated with expensive
drugs, which present side effects. Conventional healers usually are cheap and sometimes more
effective than chemical drugs. Satureja khuzestanica is an endemic plant in the west of Lorestan
Province, Iran. This plant has therapeutic value. This study was carried out for the first time to assess the in
vivo efficacy of S. khuzestanica in animal model of leishmaniasis. Mice were inoculated with
Leishmania major poromastigotes and then when a lesion developed, the mice were divided randomly
into treatment and control groups. The mice were treated with different concentrations of S.
khuzestanica essential oil (SKEO). The results showed that the lesions’ size in SKEO treated groups was
restrained but not significantly different from the control group which might be due to the low sample
size or concentration of SKEO. The mortality rate in treated groups was clearly less than the control.
The results indicated that SKEO has an effect on preventing death in infected mice. Also the survival
rate in the treated groups compared with the control groups was more. According to the results, it
seems that not only SKEO is antifungal, antiviral, antibacterial but also antiparasitical.
