Extracts from Pelargonium sidoides inhibit the growth of bacteria and fungi

Abstract

Pelargonium sidoides DC (Geraniaceae) is a medicinal plant used by the people of the Eastern Cape, South Africa, for the treatment of various diseases in man and livestock. Acetone and methanol extracts of the shoot and root of the herb were investigated for antimicrobial activity against 10 bacterial and 5 fungal species by the dilution method on solid agar medium. With the exception of Staphylococcus epidermidis, extracts obtained from both solvents demonstrated significant activity against all the Gram-positive and two of the Gram-negative bacteria tested in this study. The extracts also showed appreciable inhibitory activity against all the fungal species tested with inhibition ranging from 52.5% on Aspergillus flavus to 82.5% on Mucor hiemalis at 5 mg ml -1, the highest concentration tested in the study. The ability of the extracts of this plant to inhibit the growth of several bacteria and fungi is an indication of the broad-spectrum antimicrobial potential of P. sidoides that further validates the use of this plant for the treatment of various ailments by the people of the Eastern Cape. © 2006 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.