Natural products often exhibit tremendous potential for inhibiting various microorganisms when they are tested in petri dish tests, but perform poorly when tested in vivo. The failures can often be attributed to a lack of broad spectrum activity against the range of organisms present in a natural environment. One method for overcoming this challenge is to use extracts from a number of sources with potentially different ranges of activity. In this report, we describe tests to assess the efficacy of an extra of an herbaceous Inula viscosa, either alone or in combination with cinnamon oil, thymol, or carvacol against selected wood inhabiting organisms. Inula viscosa had little effect on weight loss, but reducing the I. viscosa level and adding smaller amounts of the other extracts did appear to produce some synergy. However, further testing will be required to more clearly delineate the effects of the various extracts on fungal activity.

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