Activity of East African Medicinal Plants against Helicobacter pylori

Abstract

The activity of extracts from the East African medicinal plants Entada abyssinica (stem bark), Terminalia spinosa (young branches), Harrisonia abyssinica (roots), Ximenia caffra (roots), Azadirachta indica (leaves and stem bark) and Spilanthes mauritiana (roots and flowers) were evaluated against 12 strains of Helicobacter pylori. The most active extracts were those derived from T. spinosa with an MIC50 of 125 μg/ml, an MIC90 of 250 μg/ml and an MIC range of 62.5–500 μg/ml. An MIC50 of 250 μg/ml and an MIC90 of > 4,000 μg/ml was reached by H. abyssinica with a range of 125– > 4,000 μg/ml and by X. caffra with a range of 62.5– > 4,000 μg/ml, respectively. It is concluded that these plants contain compounds with antimicrobial activity against H pylori.