Antibiotic Properties in Herbal Tinctures

Overview

Objectives/Goals Selected herbal tinctures were tested to see if they could inhibit the growth of the E. coli. Methods/Materials The herbal tinctures were applied to petri dishes, which were then inoculated with E. coli. Gentamicin sulfate was used as a positive control and plates with only E. coli were used as a negative control. Results Two herbal tinctures, chaparral and thyme were as effective as the gentamicin sulfate in controlling e. coli growth. Chaparral, thyme and gentamicin sulfate allowed no colonies to form. Shepherds purse, spilanthes, echinacea, and pau d'arco appeared to aid the growth of the E. coli. Conclusions/Discussion Two herbal tinctures, chaparral and thyme were as effective as the gentamicin sulfate in controlling e. coli growth. Chaparral, thyme and gentamicin sulfate allowed no colonies to form. Some of the tinctures, shepherds purse, spilanthes, echinacea, and pau d'arco appeared to aid the growth of the E. coli. These tinctures allowed more colonies to form than what appeared on the negative control plates. The tinctures of thuja, elder, oat grass and goldenseal allowed some e. coli growth. This group of tinctures appears to have some antibiotic activity against e. coli.

Competition history

• CSEF 2003 Microbiology · Entry J1309

Resources

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