## 1 Introduction  
Medicinal plants have been a valuable source of therapeutic agents, and still, many of today's drugs are plant-derived natural products or their derivatives [1]. The medicinal properties of these plants can be attributed to the presence of high amounts of chemical compounds such as polysaccharides, polyphenols, hydrolyzable tannins and other secondary metabolites [2, 3]. Plants containing essential oils (EOs) are a great resource for alternative therapy. They also have properties and act against different types of microorganisms, providing a variety of antimicrobial compounds produced by aromatic plants [4]. The _Myrtaceae_ family, with more than 3500 species distributed worldwide, especially in the humid tropics of South America, Australia and tropical Asia [5], is one of the most diverse and widespread plant kingdoms and contains many plant species that produce EOs [6]. In general, EOs from species of this family contain substances from the terpene class, including the monoterpene \(\alpha\)-pinene and the sesquiterpene \(\beta\)-caryophyllene. In addition, they contain phenylpropnoids such as eugenol and flavonoids [7]. The C-methylation of flavonoids is a typical feature of secondary metabolites found in _Myrtaceae_, and therefore it has been suggested that these natural products can be used as markers for chemotaxonomy [8]. Due to the diversity of this family, several compounds are used in folk medicine, mainly as antidiarrheal, antimicrobial, antioxidant, cleanser, antirheumatic, anti-inflammatory and for the reduction of blood cholesterol [9, 10]. The family includes genera such as _Eucalyptus, Eugenia, Leptospernum, Melaleuca, Myrtus, Plinia, Psidium, Pseudocarryophyllus_ and _Syzygium_[10]. The species of the _Melaleuca_ genus include 290 species [11]. _Melaleuca armillaris_ (Sol. [PERSON].) Sm. is one of the most cultivated and is commonly known as bracelet myrtle [12]. It grows naturally in the Moluku Islands of Indonesia and is grown in many parts of the world, such as Tanzania, Madagascar, Sri Lanka, India, China, Indonesia, Malaysia, Brazil, the Malagasy Republic, Jamaica and Guinea [13]. In Ecuador, there are 83 species, of which 9 are endemic [14]. Its species are described in the Ecuador Andean region, especially in the provinces of southern Ecuador (Azuay and Loja) [15]. They grow as small trees or large shrubs between 2500 and 2900 m above sea level (Figure 1). These native species are mainly cultivated for their edible fruits and wood and are also used as medicinal plants for their biological properties [16]. Various studies and investigations of these species reported the chemical composition of EOs using gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry, which revealed the presence of 1,8-cineole (72.3%), limonee (7.8%) and \(\alpha\)-pinene (6%) as the most abundant components [17]. The chemotype 1,8-cineole has shown potential virucidal effects against _Herpes simplex_ (virus type 1). It is used in traditional medicine for the treatment of acute and chronic bronchitis, sinusitis and respiratory infections [10; 13; 18]. This genus is known for its antibacterial, fungicidal, insecticidal, anticancer, antiviral and hypotensive properties. The other species of the _Melaleuca_ genus are valuable sources of biologically active secondary metabolites for the treatment of bacterial and fungal infections [13]. Geranyl acetate, an acyclic isoprenoid monoterpene biosynthesized by many aromatic plants, is considered a secondary metabolite and an important component of the EO of the species _M. armillaris_[19]. The medicinally active components of these EOs, like geranyl acetate, show antimicrobial and anticancer properties [20]. Among its most important properties, it has been shown to exhibit various biological activities, including anti-tumor, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, antimicrobial, hepatoprotective, cardioprotective and neuroprotective effects [21; 22]. Geranyl acetate is mainly used as a component of perfumes for creams and soaps and as a flavoring agent.