Abstract

Plant materials (leaves, stems, bulbs and roots) of many species of medicinal plants are used in the treatment of skin conditions and wound healing. Indigeneous people are known to widely use the crude extracts of many plants. A large number of plants  have been identified for their antimicrobial activities for various medicinal ailments particularly for skin conditions and wound healing. Plant extracts of Aloe arborescens, Aloe aristata, Bulbine natalensis, Bulbine frutescens and Scilla natalensis were tested for antibacterial activity against 5 strains of Gram positive (Bacillus subtilis, Micrococcus kristinae, Bacillus cereus,Staphylococcus aureus and Staphylococcus epidermidis) and 4 strains of Gram negative (Escherichia coli, Proteus vulgaris, Enterobacter aerogenes and Shigella sonnei) bacteria and antifungal activity for 6 fungal cultures: Candida albicans, Candida tropicalis,Aspergillus flavus, Aspergillus glaucus, Trichophyton mentagrophytes and Trichophyton rubrum.

Key words: Sample preparation, extraction, antimicrobial screening, wound healing, medicinal plants.