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Antibacterial properties of plant species native to the New Jersey pinelands.

Article Excerpt
ABSTRACT. This study compared the antibacterial properties of white sage (Salvia apiana), calendula (Calendula officinalis), lemon catnip (Nepeta cataria ssp. Citriodora), lavender (Lavandula angustifolia), and bayberry (Myrica cerifera), five plants that thrive in southern New Jersey. Tinctures of each herb were prepared with 40% ethanol solution and were applied to Escherichia coli and Bacillus cereus bacteria cultures. E. coli growth was inhibited by sage, catnip, and lavender, while bayberry actually facilitated bacterial growth. Calendula had no effect on the bacterial cultures. Growth of B. cereus was not affected by any of the applications. These results suggest that white sage, lemon catnip, and lavender are effective antibacterial agents against E. coli, and potentially other gram-negative bacteria.

KEY WORDS: plant, antibacterial

INTRODUCTION

According to the World Health Organization, healing herbs are used as primary medicines by two-thirds of the world's population, nearly 4 billion people worldwide (Castleman, 2001). As 25% of the prescriptions in the United States still contain active ingredients derived from plants (Castleman, 2001), it is clear that medicinal plants play an important role in global healthcare. Current research has demonstrated the effectiveness of medicinal herbs on various dermatological conditions (Graf, 2000), and even cancer (Perez-Carreon et al., 2002). Other studies have also shown that certain plants, including sage, can play a role in food preservation (Valero and Salmeron, 2003). In addition, Salvia species have demonstrated their effectiveness against soil-borne fungal...

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