You have no items in your shopping cart.
ABSTRACT
Since ancient time man has been dependent on plants for food, drink, shelter, clothing, equipment, dental care and medicine, as a result, traditional healers put forward many claims about healing power of the plant world some of which have been investigated and substantiated scientifically. The leaves, stem and root of Luffa cylindrica and the leaves of Hura crepitans were extracted with water and screened for the presence of phytochemicals. These extracts were found to contain alkaloids, carbohydrates, saponins, phenols and flavonoids. The extracts also showed antimicrobial activity against Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The zones of inhibition ranged between 12.33-17.33 mm. the extract of L. cylindrica was shown to have more antimicrobial activity than extract of H. crepitans. The antimicrobial activity of these plants could be attributed to their phytochemical constituents. Plant extracts with antimicrobial activity may provide the answer to the problem of resistance to antibiotics which is now a common phenomenon. This suggests that the extracts of L. cylindrica and H. crepitans can be use alone or in combination with other natural products or antibiotics for effectiveness.
