As antimicrobial agents, essential oils (EOs) have been used by more and more companies as alternatives to traditional chemicals. In the study, seven EOs from Pinus massoniana, cinnamon, Star anise, Litsea cubeba, Cinnamomum camphora, Lemon eucalyptus, and Camphor from Guangxi were researched for their antifungal performances and chemical components. With the help of the diffusion in a disc way as well as the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) to three fungi, the antifungal impacts and the bamboo slices anti-mold tests of these EOs were studied. The compositions of these oils were identified. Litsea cubeba EO, Anise EO, and Cinnamon EO exhibited super antifungal activity against Trichoderma viride, Aspergillus niger, and Penicillium citrinum. Treated by Cinnamon EO, Anise EO, or Litsea cubeba EO, few molds were observed on the surface of bamboo chips, which showed that these EOs had a good antifungal effect on molds of bamboo.

Graphical abstract

Antifungal effect of seven essential oils on bamboo