In vitro antifungal activity of some South African medicinal plants

The acetone extracts of 12 plants used in folkloric medicine in the Eastern Cape of South Africa, were investigated for their in vitro antimycotic activity against five fungi using the agar dilution method. The extracts showed significant inhibition of growth of the test organisms at varying concentrations. Extracts from Arctotis arctotoides showed the highest activity at concentrations varying from 0.1 to 10mg ml−1, followed by Usnea barbata, a lichen, while Grewia occidentalis demonstrated the least activity. Extracts from A. arctotoides, U. barbata, Combretum caffrum, Aloe ferox, Salix capensis, Schotia latifolia and Prunus persica were fungicidal at 10mg ml−1 which was the highest concentration tested. The fungi differed significantly in their susceptibility to plant extracts with Alternaria alternaria, and Mucor hiemalis, being completely inhibited at 5 and 10mg ml−1 by most of the extracts