Chemical compositions and antimicrobial activities of Athrixia phylicoides DC. (bush tea), Monsonia burkeana (special tea) and synergistic effects of both combined herbal teas

Abstract

Athrixia phylicoides and Monsonia burkeana are indigenous plants of South Africa predominately used as traditional herbal teas. The objective of current study was to evaluate and compare the antimicrobial activity of A. phylicoides and M. burkeana on various selected human pathogenic bacteria such as Escherichia coli; Klebsiella oxytoca; Proteus vulgaris; Serratia marcescens; Salmonella typhi; Staphylococcus aureus; Klebsiella pneumoniae and fungi such as Candida albicans. The minimum inhibition concentration (MIC) and minimum microbial concentration (MMC) of ethanol extract were determined against human pathogens using micro-plate’s dilution method. The results have demonstrated that the ethanol extracts of selected plants possessed antimicrobial activity of selected pathogens at certain different level of concentrations. In addition the results demonstrated that the MIC and MMC was also different according to the pathogens, plants species and concentration of plant extract. The future prospects will be to determine the effects of agricultural practices on the antimicrobial activity of A. phylicoides and M. burkeana.