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<i>Helianthus</i> species are North American members of the Asteraceae, several of which have been used as traditional medicines by Native Americans. The aerial parts of two cultivars of <i>Helianthus</i> <i>annuus</i>, &#8220;Chianti&#8221; and &#8220;Mammoth&#8221;, and wild-growing <i>H. strumosus</i>, were collected from locations in north Alabama. The essential oils were obtained by hydrodistillation and analyzed by gas chromatography&#8212;mass spectrometry. The <i>Helianthus</i> essential oils were dominated by monoterpene hydrocarbons, in particular &#945;-pinene (50.65%, 48.91%, and 58.65%, respectively), sabinene (6.81%, 17.01%, and 1.91%, respectively), &#946;-pinene (5.79%, 3.27%, and 4.52%, respectively), and limonene (7.2%, 7.1%, and 3.8%, respectively). The essential oils were screened against three opportunistic pathogenic fungal species, <i>Aspergillus niger</i>, <i>Candida albicans</i>, and <i>Cryptococcus neoformans</i>. The most sensitive fungus was <i>C. neoformans</i> with minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) values of 78, 156, and 78 &#956;g/mL, respectively.