Abstract

Chrysocoma ciliata L. is a medicinal plant used in the management of pains, stomach and menstrual disorders in the eastern Cape province of south Africa. Studies were conducted to determine the antimicrobial activity of the extracts from this herb. All the extracts except water extract, inhibited Staphylococcus aereus,Staphylococcus epidermidus, Bacillus cereus and Streptococcus faecalis at minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) less than 0.1 mg/ml. The extracts also inhibited the gram-negative bacteria tested including the popularly known antibiotic resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa with MIC ranging from 1.56 to 12.5 mg/ml. All the extracts at the concentration of 0.5 mg/ml, suppressed the growth ofAspergillus niger, Aspergillus flavus and Penicilium notatum with percentage inhibition ranging from 50.83 to 88.33%. The ethanol and methanol extracts were able to inhibit the growth of Candida albicans at 5.0 mg/ml. Results from this study have shown that extracts from C. ciliata displayed strong antimicrobial activity, which is a manifestation of the plant’s broad spectrum potential for the treatment of microbial induced ailments including complications and disorders associated with the female reproductive and genital organs. This herb could be a potential agent for antibiotic bioprospecting.

Key words: Chrysocoma ciliata, medicinal plant, menstrual disorder, antimicrobial activity, bioprospecting.