Anti-diarrhea Potential and Acute Toxicity Studies of Methanolic Extract of Vernonia amygdalina and Cymbopogon citratus against Castor Oil Induced Diarrhea Model in Rats.

Diarrhea is a common cause of death in developing countries and second most common cause of infant mortality worldwide. The effect of a methanolic leaf extract of Bitter leaf (Vernonia amygdalina) and Lemon grass (Cymbopogon citratus) on Castor oil-induced diarrhea was investigated. Fifty (50) rats between 120-227g were induced with castor oil for development of diarrhea. They were divided into two sub-groups of twenty-five (25) subsequently divided into five groups treated with 2 mg/kg loperamide, 100, 200, and 400 mg/kg respectively. The cumulative frequencies of wet and formed stools were noted on the 3rd - 6th hour. It was observed that 400 mg/kg body weight of the extracts reduced the fecal spots compared to 200 mg/kg and 100 mg/kg body weight. Plant extracts were found to be non-toxic. The phytochemical screening of the methanolic extract revealed the presence of some bioactive components which may be responsible for the anti-diarrhea properties observed in this study. The above findings suggested that the methanolic extracts contain active constituents that have anti-diarrhea activities that may lead to its use in treating diarrhea.

Antibacterial and Antifungal Activity of Methanolic Leaf Extract of Allium sativum on Selected Pathogenic Strains.

Allium sativum plants contain chemicals which can inhibit the growth of microorganisms and thus make them suitable to be used in different medicines. The antibacterial and antifungal activities of Allium sativum methanolic extracts were investigated using standard analytical techniques and modern micro plate-based antibacterial assays techniques. The antibacterial of methanolic extract of Allium sativum were used on different bacteria strains which include Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Protea spp., Salmonella typhi and Staphylococcus aureus. The antifungal observation of Allium sativum was found to be active against Aspergilus flavus, Aspergilus niger, Aspergilus fumigatus, Penicillium spp compared to Funbact-A (control). The susceptibility test showed that Allium sativum is more active against Aspergilus fumigatus. The Allium sativum had a higher zone of inhibition compared to Ciproflaxin (control) on the different bacteria strains. Aspergillus fumigatus and Aspergillus niger differs significantly in their degree of inhibition of methanolic extract of Allium sativum. The findings support the use of Allium sativum extract in treating bacterial infections and Aspergillosis.