Abstract:Aromatic plant essential oils generally have good antibacterial properties and are potential natural antibacterial agents.The article reviews the main chemical components,antibacterial objects and antibacterial mechanism of 24 essential oils including Litsea cubeba(Lour.) Pers,Cinnamomum cassia Presl,Syringa Linn,Moringa oleifera Lam,Thymus mongolicus Ronn,Salvia japonica Thunb,Cuminum cyminum L,Illicium verum,Origanum vulgare L.,Zanthoxylum bungeanum Maxim,Allium sativum L.,etc.Detailed analysis of the antibacterial mechanism of 6 essential oil monomer components including carvacrol,cinnamaldehyde,thymol,eugenol,citral,and limonene were carried out against different microorganisms.