The composition of essential oil of the seeds of Artemisia annua L. was analysed by GC-MS. Overall, 16 volatile components were identified on the basis of their mass spectra characteristics and retention indices representing 95.5% of the total oil. Trans-3(10)-caren-4-ol (22.3%), artemisia ketone (18.6%), 1,8-cineole (14.9%), δ-selinene (13.0%) and α-pinene (8.2%) were the major compounds. Oxygenated monoterpenes were the main compounds with 51.6% followed by sesquiterpene hydrocarbons (13.3%), monoterpene hydrocarbons (9.9%) and other compounds (8.3%). The essential oil was highly active against Escherichia coli and Enterococcus faecalis.