Ejele A.E., Duru I.A., Oze R.N., Iwu I.C. and Ogukwe C.E..
The antimicrobial potential of seeds of Piper umbellatum Linn. and Piper guinense Schum and Thonn. and leaves of Ocimum gratissimum Lin. and Newbouldia laevis have been reviewed. The results revealed that all the plant extracts showed antimicrobial activity to various extents against three organisms tested; Coliform bacilli, Staphylococcus aureus and Salmonella typhi. The ethanol extract of O. gratissimum exhibited the greatest antimicrobial activity against the microorganisms, followed by P. umbellatum extract while N. laevis leaf extract showed the least activity. The comparative susceptibility of each microorganism to different extracts showed that P. umbellatum exhibited the greatest activity against Coliform bacili with inhibition zone diameter of 27mm at 1.0mg/ml concentration while O. gratissimum showed the greatest activity against Salmonella spp. with inhibition zone diameter of 28 mm at the same concentration. P. guineense showed the greatest activity against S. aureus with inhibition zone diameter of 35 mm at 1.0mg/ml concentration. Thus, a mixture of these plants could provide a herbal formula for the treatment of diseases caused by these microorganisms.
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