The objective of this study was to find herbicidal compounds from seven different plant essential oils such as amyris (Amyris balsamifera), cajuput (Melaleuca cajeputi), geranium (Pelargonium graveolens), lavender (Lavendula spp.), mandarin (Citrus reticulata), pine (Pinus spp.) and rosemary (Rosmarius officinale), and determine their herbicidal activities. The in vitro herbicidal activity of cajuput essential oil was the highest among six essential oils ($GR_{50}$ value, $425{\mu}g\;g^{-1}$) and major chemical components in cajuput essential oil were eucalyptol (37.2%), ${\alpha}$-terpineol (11.6%), benzaldehyde (5.2%), linalool (4.1%), ${\alpha}$-pinene (2.5%) and ${\beta}$-pinene (2.4%), and their $GR_{50}$ values were 2,731, 500, 50, 372, 4,363, and $4,671{\mu}g\;g^{-1}$, respectively. Soil application of cajuput essential oil and benzaldehyde did not show any herbicidal activity at 80 kg $ha^{-1}$. When cajuput essential oil was applied to foliar at 80 kg $ha^{-1}$, narrow-leaved plants such as sorghum (Sorghum bicolar), barnyardgrass (Echinochloa crus-galli), and southern crabgrass (Digitaria ciliaris) were killed 100%, however, broad-leaved plants indian jointvetch (Aeschynomeme indica), velvet leaf (Abutilon theophrasti), cocklebur (Xanthium strumarium), Japanese morningglory (Calystegia japonica) were not killed, indicating the cajuput essential oil was effective to control narrow-leaved plants. Herbicidal activities of benzaldehyde at 80 kg $ha^{-1}$, to those plants were 20, 60 and 95%, respectively. Overall data showed that the herbicidal activity of cajuput essential oil was in part due to benzaldehyde.