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Background and objectives Stachys aegyptiaca Pers. (family Lamiaceae) is a perennial aromatic wild plant collected from Saint Catherine Protectorate, Sinai. The essential oil of S. aegyptiaca was obtained using two different techniques, conventional hydrodistillation (HD) and microwave-assisted extraction (MAE). The aim of the present study was to compare the effect of the two techniques on oil yield and oil composition. MAE offered reduction in the extraction time with better oil yield compared with HD. Materials and methods Two different techniques, conventional HD and MAE, were used for the extraction of essential oil from S. aegyptiaca. The chemical composition of the essential oil was analyzed using the gas chromatography–mass spectrometry technique. Results and conclusion Gas chromatography–mass spectrometry of the essential oils obtained revealed the presence of 48 and 30 components constituting 99.31 and 99.82% of the total composition of the oils obtained using; MAE and HD, respectively. Variations in the percentage yield and chemical composition were observed. The major component found in the extracted oils was α-pinene (24.65% HD and 41.14% MAE). MAE offered reduction in the extraction time (60 min vs. 3 h) with better oil yield (1.4% w/v) when compared with HD (0.9% w/v). MAE could be used as an alternative tool for the isolation of essential oils from their natural sources.