Evaluation of Antibacterial and Antifungal Activity of Herbs Used in Treatment of Diabetes, Malaria and Pneumonia in Kisii and Nyamira Counties Region, Kenya

Abstract

The herbs Carissa spinarum, Physalis minima and Toddalia asiatica have traditionally been used in healing diabetes, malaria and pneumonia by the communities around the Kisii region, Kenya. However in the available literature, there is scanty information on effectiveness of different plant parts of the herbs in healing the ailments. The objective of this study was to investigate the potential antimicrobial and antifungal activity of methanolic extract of whole plant Physalis minima, leaf and root of Carissa spinarum and Toddalia asiatica against gram positive bacteria Staphylococcus aureus (ATCC 25923), gram negative bacteria Escherichia coli (ATCC 25922) and fungus Candida albicans (ATCC14053). Antibiotic disc methicillin, cotrimoxazole, chloramphenicol, gentamicin, ampicillin, nalidixic and nitrofurantoin were used in the study. In each herb, plant part was extracted by soaking in methanol/dichloromethane in ratio 1:1 for a week, filtered, concentrated by rotary vapor and cooled. The same process was repeated three times for all samples. The study was conducted by agar well diffusion method. Methanolic root extract of Toddalia asiatica showed highest antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus (ATCC 25923), root extract of Carissa spinarum had highest antibacterial activity against Escherichia coli (ATCC 25922) while root extract of Toddalia asiatica showed highest antifungal activity. It was concluded that root extract of Toddalia asiatica showed highest antibacterial activity 16.7mm against Staphylococcus aureus(ATCC 25923), root extract of Carissa spinarum had highest antibacterial activity 10 mm against Escherichia coli (ATCC 25922) while root extract of Toddalia asiatica had highest antifungal activity 18 mm against Candida albicans.

Concentrations and Health Risk Assessment of Potentially Toxic Elements in Medicinal Herbs from Northern Nigeria

“…The concentrations of nickel in this present study are higher than the levels of nickel reported ranging from 0.09 to 1.6 ppm from Kenya [29], and 8.81 to 10.25 ppm from Baghdad, Iraq [53].…”

“…The sample YF5 recorded the highest level of lead and lowest in PL1, the levels of lead in sample clusters PL5, PD3, YF1, and YF5 were above the permissible limit set by WHO/FAO for lead in herbal medicine at 0.005 ppm [23], while below the limit in the other samples. The result of findings was higher than earlier reported, 70.1 to 49.53 ppm in branded herbal drugs in Pakistan [40], 0.25 to 2.64 ppm from India [41], and 0.15 to 0.41 ppm from Kenya [29]. However, the result of this finding was in line with the lead concentrations reported in similar studies in Nigeria [15] and Malaysia [42].…”

“…The comparison of this permissible limit with the results obtained indicated that the concentration of chromium was above the permissible limit except in PL1, PL2, and YF3. However, the chromium concentrations of 0.57 to 2.04 ppm of herbs in similar studies from Kenya [29] and 0.73 to 4.79 ppm in some selected medicinal plants growing within the University of Ibadan Campus, Nigeria [58] were above the results obtained in this finding. The concentrations of zinc ranged from 26.65 to 48.61 ppm medicinal herbs.…”

“…Lead is highly toxic to humans with typical symptoms of headache, convulsions, hypertension, muscular, skeletal, colic, chronic nephritis, anemia, and central nervous system disorders [38,39]. Lead exposures in early childhood and prenatally can cause low cognitive advancement, learning deficits, and numerous other sound effects [29]. The sample YF5 recorded the highest level of lead and lowest in PL1, the levels of lead in sample clusters PL5, PD3, YF1, and YF5 were above the permissible limit set by WHO/FAO for lead in herbal medicine at 0.005 ppm [23], while below the limit in the other samples.…”

Pharmacognostic standardization and qualitative analysis of Gymnosporia senegalensis

“…In different countries, cadmium (Cd) has gained more attention for exceeding the PL for medicinal plants and herbs given by the WHO and Food Agriculture Organization (FAO). At high concentrations, cadmium critically affects the vascular, liver, and immune systems [41]. In the present study, 0.04 ppm cadmium was found in the leaf, 0.02 ppm in the stem, and 0.16 ppm in the bark of G. senegalensis.…”