ANTIMICROBIAL ACTIVITY OF 20 PLANTS USED IN FOLKLORIC MEDICINE IN THEPALESTINIAN AREA

Ethanolic and aqueous extracts of 20 Palestinian plant species used in folk medicine were investigated for their antimicrobial activities ag ainst five bacterial species (Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Proteus vulgaris, Pseudomonas aeruginosa) and one yeast (Candida albicans). The plants showed 90% of antimicrobial a ctivity, with significant difference in activity between the different plants. The most antimicrobially active plants were Phagnalon rupestr e and Micromeria nervosa, whereas, the least active plant was Ziziplus spina-christi. Only ten of the tested plant extracts were active agai nst C. albicans, with the most active from M. nervosa and Inula viscos a and the least active from Ruscus aculeatus. Of all extracts the etha nolic extract of M. nervosa was the most active, whereas, the aqueous extract of Phagnalon rupestre was the most active of all aqueous extra cts tested. The ethanolic extracts (70%) showed activity against both Gram positive and negative bacteria and 40% of these extracts showed a nticandidal activity, whereas, 50% of the aqueous extracts showed anti bacterial activity and 20% of these extracts showed anticandidal activ ity. (C) 1998 Published by Elsevier Science Inland Ltd. All rights res erved.