Fitoterapia 75 (2004) 6873

Short report

Antimicrobial screening of plants used for traditional medicine in the state of Perak, Peninsular Malaysia
C. Wiarta,*, S. Moganaa, S. Khalifahb, M. Mahanb, S. Ismailb, M. Bucklea, A.K. Narayanaa, M. Sulaimanc
b

Department of Pharmacy, University of Malaya, Malaysia Department of Allied Health Sciences, University of Malaya, Malaysia c Foundation Center of Sciences, University of Malaya, Malaysia Received 27 June 2003; accepted 31 July 2003

Abstract Seventy-two extracts (methanol) obtained from the leaves, barks, and roots of 50 plant species used in the traditional medicine of Perak, Peninsular Malaysia, have been screened for antibacterial and antifungal activities. Peristrophe tinctoria, Polyalthia lateriflora, Knema malayana, Solanum torvum, Celosia argentea, Eclipta prostrata, Ancistrocladus tectorius, Dillenia suffruticosa, Piper stylosum and Rafflesia hasseltii displayed the broadest spectrum of activity. 2003 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Keywords: Antibacterial activity; Antifungal activity; Plants of Malaysia

Plant material. Fifty plants (Table 1) were collected from Kuala Kangsar in the State of Perak (Northern Malaysia) between July 2001 and April 2002. The plants were identified by comparison with specimens available at the Herbarium of the Forest Research Institute, Kepong, Malaysia. Voucher specimens of the plant material are deposited at Department of Pharmacy, University of Malaya, Malaysia.
*Corresponding author. E-mail address: christophe_wiart@yahoo.com (C. Wiart). 0367-326X/04/$ - see front matter doi:10.1016/j.fitote.2003.07.013 2003 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

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Table 1 Antimicrobial screening of fifty different plant species used in the traditional medicine of Perak, Peninsular Malaysiaa Plant ACANTHACEAE 1. A. gangetica (L.) T. Anders. 2. P. tinctoria Nees AMARANTHACEAE 3. A. blitum L. 4. C. argentea L. ANNONACEAE 5. D. dumosus (Roxburgh) Safford 6. P. lateriflora (Bl.) King ANCISTROCLADACEAE 7. A. tectorius (Lour.) Merr. Extract W W B. c* 8 B. s* 7 C. a* 8 E. c* P. a* 8 S. a* 9

W W L B L

9 8 12 11 12

9 11 7

11 10

15 7

9 8 8 12

R B W L R B L L L B L B L B R L B W W W W W W L

11 8 13 11 7 7 7 8 9 12 8 7 7 10 7 12 7 7

8 16 22 9 7 10 10 7 12 10 11 7

7 10 10 7 7 7 13 7 8 9

7 8 7 9 10 9 8

7 7 12 7 10 9 11 15 8

ARALIACEAE 8. S. heterophylla Harms 9. S. oxyphylla (Miq.) Vig. 10. T. burckii Boerlage 11. B. palmata Kurz ARISTOLOCHIACEAE 12. A. corymbosa (Griff.) Willd. 13. A. tomentosa (Bl.) Engl.

ASTERACEAE 14. A. conyzoides L. 15. E. prostrata (L.) L. 16. E. scaber L. 17. E. sonchifolia (L.) DC. COMMELINACEAE 18. C. communis L. CRASSULACEAE 19. K. pinnata Pers.

70 Table 1 (Continued) Plant CYPERACEAE 20. C. rotundus L. 21. M. cuspidata (Miq.) Uitt. DILLENIACEAE 22. D. suffruticosa (Griff.) Martelli EUPHORBIACEAE 23. C. hirtus LHer. 24. E. hirta L. GESNERIACEAE 25. D. crinita Jack LAMIACEAE 26. H. suaveolens Poit. 27. O. sanctum L. LAURACEAE 28. C. iners Reinw. ex Bl. LYCOPODIACEAE 29. L. cernuum L. MELASTOMATACEAE 30. M. malabathricum L. 31. S. begoniaefolia Ridl. 32. M. excelsum Bl. MYRISTICACEAE 33. K. malayana Warb. MYRTACEAE 34. R. cinerea Jack NEPENTHACEAE 35. N. mirabilis (Lour.) Druce OPHIOGLOSSACEAE 36. H. zeylanica Hk. f. PIPERACEAE 37. P. pellucida (L.) HBK 38. P. porphyrophyllum N.E. Br. 39. P. stylosum Miq

C. Wiart et al. / Fitoterapia 75 (2004) 6873

Extract W R B L L

B. c* 7 7 7 7

B. s* 7

C. a* 7

E. c*

P. a* 8 9 9

S. a*

W W W W W L

9 7 7 7

8 7

8 7 8

15 8

8 7 7

W L L B L L B L W

7 8 8 7 8

7 13 8 11

7 9 16

10 11 11 9 8

L B W W W

7 7 10

7 7 9

7 7 8

10 9

C. Wiart et al. / Fitoterapia 75 (2004) 6873 Table 1 (Continued) Plant Extract B. c* B. s* C. a* E. c* P. a*

71

S. a*

POACEAE 40. E. indica (L.) Gaertn. f. PONTEDERIACEAE 41. M. vaginalis (Burm. f.) Prels. RAFFLESIACEAE 42. R. hasseltii Suring. RUBIACEAE 43. N. pallida (Reinw. ex Havil.) Bakh. f. 44. H. capitellata Wall. ex G. Don 45. H. congesta Wall. RUTACEAE 46. C. excavata Burm. f. SMILACACEAE 47. S. leucophylla Bl. SOLANACEAE 48. S. torvum Swartz VERBENACEAE 49. S. indica (L.) Vahl VITACEAE 50. L. indica (Burm. f.) Merr. Gentamycin Nystatin

10

W B L B L F B L B L L L W

7 7 8 12 8 7 8

12 8 9 13 7

7 7 7 9

9 8 9 7

7 11 8

18

20

11

20

20

14

a Zone of inhibition, including the diameter of the filter paper disc (6 mm), 1 mg of extract in a disc, 10 mg of gentamycin and 20 mg of nystatin in positive control. L leaves, B bark, W whole, R roots, F flowers, B. c Bacillus cereus, B. s. bacillus subtilis, C. a Candida albicans, E. c Escherichia coli, P. a Pseudomonas aeruginosa, S. a Staphylococcus aureus. *mm.

Uses in traditional medicine. Asystasia gangetica (astringent) w4x; Peristrophe tinctoria (skin infection) w2x, Amaranthus blitum (sores) w4x, Celosia argentea (broken bones) w4x, Desmos dumosus (dysentery) w1x, Polyalthia lateriflora (skin infection) w4x, Ancistrocladus tectorius (dysentery) w3x, Schefflera heterophylla (postpartum) w1x, Schefflera oxyphylla (postpartum) w1x, Trevesia burckii (skin

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C. Wiart et al. / Fitoterapia 75 (2004) 6873

infection) w1x, Brassaiopsis palmata (skin infection), Apama corymbosa (toothache) w4x, Apama tomentosa (boils) w2x, Ageratum conyzoides (diarrhea) w1x, Eclipta prostrata (cuts) w1x, Elephantopus scaber (postpartum) w1x, Emilia sonchifolia (boils) w2x, Commelina communis (boils) w4x, Kalanchoe pinnata (cough) w1x, Cyperus rotundus (pain) w1x, Mapania cuspidata (dysentery), Dillenia suffruticosa (astringent), Croton hirtus (gum sores) w2x, Euphorbia hirta (wounds) w4x, Didymocarpus crinita (postpartum) w2x, Hyptis suaveolens (skin infection) w4x, Ocimum sanctum (skin infection) w4x, Cinnamomum iners (postpartum) w1x, Lycopodium cernuum (astringent) w2x, Melastoma malabathricum (astringent) w2x, Sonerila begoniaefolia (boils) w2x, Memecylon excelsum (astringent) w2x, Knema malayana (skin infection), Rhodamnia cinerea (postpartum) w1x, Nepenthes mirabilis (dysentery) w2x, Helminthostachys zeylanica (tonic) w1x, Peperomia pellucida (boils) w4x, Piper porphyrophyllum (postpartum) w1x, Piper stylosum (postpartum) w2x, Eleusine indica (vaginal infection) w1x, Monochordia vaginalis (boils) w1x, Rafflesia hasseltii (postpartum) w1x, Neonauclea pallida (tonic), Hedyotis capitellata (wounds) w2x, Hedyotis congesta (wounds) w2x, Clausena excavata (postpartum) w1x, Smilax leucophylla (syphilis) w2x, Solanum torvum (crack on the feet) w1x, Stachytarpheta indica (sprains and bruises) w2x, and Leea indica (boils). Tested material. Methanol extracts obtained from the leaves, bark and roots of the species listed in Table 1. Studied activity. Antibacterial and antifungal activity by disc diffusion method. Used micro-organisms. Listed in Table 1. Results. Listed in Table 1. Conclusion. P. tinctoria, P. lateriflora, K. malayana, S. torvum, C. argentea, E. prostrata, A. tectorius, D. suffruticosa, P. stylosum and R. hasseltii displayed the broadest spectrum of activity, being active against at least four of the microorganisms tested. A. tectorius, A. tomentosa, D. dumosus, P. lateriflora, E. scaber, and H. capitellata showed the highest activity against B. cereus. Upon testing against B. subtilis, A. tectorius, A. tomentosa, M. excelsum, R. hasseltii and C. excavata exhibited the highest activity. The plant species showing the highest activity against S. aureus were E. prostrata, P. lateriflora, and A. tectorius. Upon testing against P. aeruginosa, C. argentea and O. sanctum exhibited the highest activity. K. malayana exhibited the highest activity against C. albicans. A. gangetica, L. indica and C. rotundus were totally inactive. The present work has shown that most of the plants studied are potentially good sources of antimicrobial agents and that further

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investigation is worthwhile. This supports the view that traditional use of certain plants is important in medicine and in assisting primary health care in this part of the world. Acknowledgments Financial support by the University of Malaya and the staff of the Forest Institute for their technical assistance are gratefully acknowledged. References
w1x Burkill IH, Haniff M. Gard Bull Straits Settl 1930;6:165. w2x Burkill IH. Dictionary of the economic products of the Malay Peninsula. London: Crown Agents for the Colonies, 1935. w3x Gimlette JD, Thomson HWA. Dictionary of Malayan Medicines. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1939. w4x Wiart C. Medicinal plants of Southeast Asia. 2nd ed. Prentice Hall Asia, 2002.