Ethnobotanical Identification and Anti-microbial Evaluation of Some Anti- Diarrhoreal Plants Used by the Samburu Community, Kenya
- Author:
Eric Omwenga Omori
;
Ogol Calistus
;
Paul Kamau Mbugua
;
Paul Owour Okemo
- Publication Type:Journal Article
- Keywords:
diarrhoea;
medicinal plants;
phytochemicals;
antimicrobial activity;
ethnobotany
- From:Malaysian Journal of Microbiology
2012;8(2):68-74
- CountryMalaysia
- Language:English
-
Abstract:
Aims:The anti-bacterial effect of some selected Samburu medicinal plants were evaluated on bacterial strains like
Staphylococcus aureus-ATCC 20591, Bacillus subtillis-local isolate, Salmonella typhi-ATCC 2202, Escherichia coli-STD-
25922 and Pseudomonas aeruginosa-ATCC 25852.
Methodology and Results: Methanol was used as an extraction solvent for the medicinal plants after they had been ried and ground using the laboratory grinding miller. The in vitro anti-bacterial activity was performed by agar disc
diffusion method. The significant anti-microbial activity of active extracts was compared with the standard antibiotics,
cefrodoxima and amoxicillin. These results were significant at p < 0.01. The MICs were also determined by the micro
titre-plate method. The MICs of the most active plants ranged from 18.75 mg/mL to 37.5 mg/mL. The MBCs ranged
between 18.75 mg/mL to 37.5 mg/mL. The most active plant that had substantial activity in at least all the test cultures
was found to be Lannea triphylla (A.Rich) Engl. A number of phytochemicals were also found to be present with tannins
being the most abundant followed by flavonoids and saponins.
Conclusion, significance and impact of study: The findings show that most of the medicinal plants used by the
Samburu community have some significant activity on the bacterial isolates known to cause diarrhoea.
