Antibiotic screening of medicinal plants of the British Columbian native peoples

• Published in: Journal of ethnopharmacology Vol. 37; no. 3; pp. 213 - 223
• Main Authors: McCutcheon, A.R, Ellis, S.M, Hancock, R.E.W, Towers, G.H.N
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Ireland 01.10.1992
• Subjects: American Indians; Anti-Bacterial Agents - pharmacology; antibiotics; bacteria; Bacteria - drug effects; British Columbia; ethnobotany; Humans; medicinal plants; Medicine, Traditional; Microbial Sensitivity Tests; north american native peoples; plant extracts; Plant Extracts - pharmacology; Plants, Medicinal; screening; traditional medicine; British Columbia
• ISSN: 0378-8741; 1872-7573
• DOI: 10.1016/0378-8741(92)90036-Q

One hundred methanolic plants extracts, 96 of which had documented medicinal uses by British Columbian native peoples, were screened for antibiotic activity against 11 bacterial strains. Eighty-five percent were found to have significant antibiotic activity against at least two of the bacteria tested. Ninety-five percent of the plants categorized as potential antibiotics based on their ethnobotanical usage were found to exhibit significant antibiotic activity. Seventy-five were found to be active against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, 46 were active against an antibiotic supersusceptible strain of Pseudomonas aeruginosa and 18 of these were also active against a wild type strain. The extracts with the broadest spectra of activity were prepared from: Alnus rubra bark and catkins, Fragaria chiloensis leaves, Moneses uniflora aerial parts, and Rhus glabra branches.