The antimicrobial effect in vitro of aqueous and ethanolic extracts of garlic (Allium sativum Linn.), ginger (Zingiber officinale Roscoe) and lime (Citrus aurantifolia Linn.) juice were assayed against Staphylococcus aureus; Bacillus spp., Escherichia coli and Salmonella spp. All the test organisms were susceptible to undiluted lime-juice. The aqueous and ethanolic extracts of garlic and ginger singly did not inhibit any of the test organisms. The highest inhibition zone of 19 mm was observed with a combination of extracts on Staphylococcus aureus. Salmonella spp were resistant to almost all the extracts except lime.

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Interest in the use of medicinal plants in treatment of diseases in Africa has increased tremendously over the past decade. Ingestion of contaminated medicinal plants and herbal medicinal products is regarded as potential source of heavy metal toxicity to both man and animals. Heavy metals are often not well defined in medicine, but include all toxic metals. They are released into the environment by both natural and a variety of anthropogenic sources. The presence of heavy metals in plant tissues is primarily dependent upon their availability and concentration in the soil. They can also be deposited directly on plant surfaces from the atmosphere. Heavy metals are persistent in nature due to their long biological half-life. The major heavy metals of health concern are arsenic, cadmium, lead and mercury. They are the redox inactive metals and show their toxic effects via bonding to sulphydryl groups of proteins and depletion of glutathione -an antioxidant. In order to ensure quality and safety of herbal drugs, cultivation and collection of medicinal plants in the immediate vicinity of industrial sites which utilize these metals and their compounds, and sites where these metals have been improperly disposed is highly discouraged; because plants from these areas are prone to high concentration of heavy metals, hence, increases human risk of contamination when taken. In addition,

The effect of the aqueous extracts of Catharanthus roseus and chlorpropamide (Diabenese) on the levels of serum cholesterol, total protein, lipid peroxidation, blood glucose and liver enzymes were compared in alloxan-induced diabetic rats. Four groups namely A, B, C and D comprising of nine rats each were used. A and B were administered with chlorpropamide and C. roseus extracts respectively, while C and D served as diabetic and non-diabetic controls respectively. The results showed comparatively significant reductions (P 0.05) in the levels of glucose, protein, cholesterol, lipid peroxidation and liver enzymes in the groups administered C. roseus extracts and chlorpropamide relative to the controls. The reductions were higher in the groups treated with C. roseus extract than in the groups treated with diabenese.

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