Assessment of Invitro Antibacterial Activity of Phytochemical Constituents of Two Commercial Herbal Preparations Sold in Jos

Abstract

The use of herbal medicaments is an old tradition globally and in Nigeria, but the efficacies of these preparations are not adequately confirmed and reported. The in-vitro antibacterial efficacy of two commercial herbal preparations was assessed, to ascertain their antibacterial efficacy and used as cheap alternative treatment for various ailments. Swedish (SB) and Living Bitters (LB) were obtained from Pharmacy shops in Jos, and were tested against six (6) selected Gram positive and Gram negative bacteria using the agar diffusion technique. Susceptibility was measured by inhibition zones for different concentrations of the preparations against selected organisms. Salmonella typhi was most susceptible with zones of inhibition of 37mm and 33.7 mm for SB and LB respectively. Similarly, Staphylococcus aureus produced zones of inhibition of 37mm and 33.4mm for the two suspensions. There was a dose dependent increase in diameters of zones of inhibition. The Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC) for both SB and LB were 50% (S. typhi) and 25% (S. aureus) of the original concentrations respectively. The Minimum Bactericidal Concentration (MBC) for SB and LB were 50% (jor S. typhi) and 25% (for S. aureus) respectively. E. coli was moderately sensitive while Pseudomonas aeruginosa was resistant. Phytochemical constituents identified in both herbal suspensions confirmed presence of bioactive compounds such as flavonoids, saponins and phenols. The flavonoid concentration in SB was higher (++) than the amount in LB (+). More studies should be carried out to ascertain the usefulness of these herbal products as alternative treatment for clinical diarrheal cases and wound or skin lesions.