American Botanical Council
HerbClip
Date: To: June 17, 1996 General Distribution
FILE: Antibiotic Activity of Herbs
HC 6-17-6-2
Re:
Antibiotic Herbs
Buhner, Stephen. Herbal Analogues to Antibiotics. NFM’s Nutrition Science News , August 1995, pp. 20-21.
Strains of disease-causing bacteria that have become resistant to antibiotics are emerging at an alarming rate, and searches for new antibiotics are currently underway. Unfortunately, however, the development of new antibiotics will only postpone the problem, as it is likely that the bacteria will eventually develop ways to resist these drugs as well. Under the auspices of the World Health Organization (WHO), research is being conducted into the usefulness of herbs for treating diseases caused by bacteria, and clinical research has shown that there are herbal analogues that are efficacious against the emerging antibiotic-resistant strains of bacteria. Garlic (Allium sativum) extract and garlic compounds have been shown to exert a broad range of antibiotic activity, and are effective against both gramnegative and gram-positive bacteria, including staphylococcus, streptococcus, cholera, diphtheria, typhus, and shigella, as well as other antibiotic-resistant bacteria. Usnea (Usnea spp.), which is a lichen (i.e. a symbiotic combination of an algae and a fungus), has been shown to have antibacterial properties and especially strong antibiotic activity against grampositive bacteria, such as staphylococcus, streptococcus, pneumonococcus, and tuberculosis bacillus. At least 52 other lichen species have shown antibacterial activity as well. Antibiotic resistant malaria is becoming a huge problem in the tropics, and alternatives are needed for the anti-malarial drug Chloroquine. Clinical trials using an African shrub called Cryptolepis sanguinolenta have shown the herb to have strong anti-malarial activity. Artemisia annua, an herb used in traditional Chinese medicine, has also been shown to be effective against malaria, and is even being used against Chloroquine-resistant strains.
Bin #91