Ms. Alishtayeh et al., ANTIMICROBIAL ACTIVITY OF 20 PLANTS USED IN FOLKLORIC MEDICINE IN THEPALESTINIAN AREA, Journal of ethnopharmacology, 60(3), 1998, pp. 265-271
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.