Are Herbal Products an Alternative to Antibiotics?

Abstract

Medicinal plants have been widely used in the management of infectious diseases and by now, many of the ancient remedies have proven their value through scientific methodologies. Although the mechanisms underlying most plant-derived remedies are not well understood, the success of herbal medicine in curing infectious diseases shows that many plants have beneficial effects in various bacterial, fungal, viral or parasitic infections. The modern methodologies in the isolation, purification and characterization of the active compounds, has been a great impact for advancing in vitro and in vivo research, this step being crucial for further application in clinical trials. Many plant-derived compounds, for example, quinine and artemisinin, have been already successfully used in healing lifethreatening infectious disease. The main limitations of plant medicine healing are lack of standardization and reproducibility of plant-derived products. Despite the paucity of clinical trials evaluating their efficacy, phytotherapy, adult plant uses and gemmotherapy, the use of embryonic stem cells should be reconsidered as valuable resources in finding new active compounds with sustained antimicrobial activity.

The effects of clove seed (Syzygium aromaticum) dietary administration on carcass characteristics, meat quality, and sensory attributes of broiler chickens

“…Thus, organic and conventional poultry production requires alternative strategies to enhance poultry growth and performance ( Diaz-Sanchez et al., 2015 ). Herbs, spices, and various other natural plant compounds are being assessed as effective alternatives to antibiotics and approximately do have promoting growth effects, antibacterial properties, and other health-related advantages ( Ionescu, 2017 ; Al-Sagheer et al., 2019 ; Abou-Elkhair et al., 2020 ; Naiel et al., 2020 ).…”

Multifunctional Therapeutic Potential of Phytocomplexes and Natural Extracts for Antimicrobial Properties

“…). This compound was considered the primary treatment for malaria for quite a long time, although alternative plant-based active chemicals have now proven their worth [2]. Additionally, numerous investigations have indicated that quinine exhibits antibacterial effects.…”

“…Numerous fundamental oils incorporate (ethyl-dimethyl-(3-sulfopropyl)azanium) (C 7 H 18 NO 3 S + ) (PubChem CID 448830, for example, E. globulus (eucalyptus) oil, Melaleuca alternifolia (tea tree) oil, or R. officinalis oil (rosemary). It is one of the fundamental unique combinations in key oils, which clarifies their antibacterial properties [ 2 ]. It functions as an accelerator of penetration for topical application to the skin [ 16 ].…”

“…Old healers habitually joined helpful spices with odd spells, with plans and proprietary advantages passed down through the ages. Oral transmission of information about ancient restorative practices included modern conventions about plant gathering, readiness strategies, applications, portions, unique eating regimens, and linkages with other mystery tales about the idea of disease [ 2 ]. Plant species on the earth are assessed to number somewhere between 250,000 and 500,000 [ 3 ].…”

Antibacterial potential of plant extracts on ESBL and carbapenemase producing pathogens

“…The contemplating action for the observed scenario demands our sincere focus towards the use of alternative remedies in combating antimicrobial resistance. Verily, many published studies report the potential of plant extracts as a possible alternative to antibiotics [8,9,10]. However, comparatively few documented records including research publications report the efficiency of plant extracts in treatment of infections caused by multi drug resistant pathogens [11,12].…”