Twelve (12) medicinal plants endangered and commonly used by communities and traditional medical practitioners in 5 districts of Zimbabwe were selected. Twenty methanol freeze dried plant extracts were screened for phytochemistry using thin layer chromatography (TLC) with detection by UV and reagent sprays. Phytochemical group investigations indicated presence of tannins (80 %), saponins (70 %), flavonoids and cardiac glycosides (40 %), anthraquinone derivatives and coumarins (25 %) and alkaloid (15 %).Antibacterial and antifungal activity was tested by agar-well diffusion method using standard antimicrobial strains and expressed as average diameter of the zone of inhibition around the wells compared with reference standards. Most of the plant extracts were active against gram positive Staphylococcus aureus and Streptococcus Group A with Erythrina abyssinica, Ximenia caffra and Ziziphus mucronata being the most active. Extracts of Peltophorum africanum and Ximenia caffra were strongly active against gram-negative Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. None of the extracts had pronounced activity against Candida albicans and Aspergillus niger. Dicoma anomala and Peltophorum africanum however, showed moderate activity against Candida albicans. Minimum inhibition concentrations (MICs) of active plant extracts ranged between 0.23 mg/ml to 5 mg/ml. The studies demonstrate the potential value of medicinal plants used by traditional medical practitioners and should be preserved, propagated and developed for the treatment of various ailments and for industrial expansion.

Genital herpes, usually caused by Herpes Simplex Virus type-2 (HSV-2conservation. The results also provide an opportunity to develop more efficacious drugs by isolating lead compounds and determining their mode of action.

No abstract

Aerial parts of Lippia javanica (Burm.f.) Spreng from two wild sites from Western Zimbabwe and those cultivated around Harare were collected, hydro-and steam distilled for essential oil and examined by GC and GC-MS. The composition of both essential oils produced was dominated by myrcenone (40.1-55.2 %). Previously we reported the essential oils from 13 other geographical sites from Zimbabwe to be dominated by myrcene (54.0 %), linaool (68.8 %) and limonene (39.9 %) varieties. This could have implications for product development and quality control for extracts from L. javanica.

The essential oil from the leaves of Clausena anisam (Willd.) J.D. Hook ex Benth. was isolated by hydrodistillation. The oil was analysed by a combination of GC and GC-MS The oil contained mainly sabinene (33.0%). germacrene-D (17.0%) 2-p-ocimene (6.0%). germacrene-B (5 5%), (E)-P-ocimene (4.9'10) and terpinen-4-01 (4.7% ). Using the hole-plate diffusion method for antibacterial testing. the volatile oil exhibited significant activity against Benec-kea noirtegrns. Flui,obac-ieriitrn ~u o i * e o l m s , Enrerococcits faecalis. Baci1lic.s stchiilrs. Serratia marcesccns. Alcaligenes faec-aliJand Lcuconosioc crernoris. The mycelium growth inhibition method was used to test for antifungal activity. The fungal species Grotrichuni candidttm. Asprrgtlliu parcisiticiu. Candida alhtcms. Pentcillrurn c-tirtnurn and Alrcrrioriu alrcrnaia shoued significant sensitivity to the volatile oil.