ANTI-FUNGAL ACTIVITY OF : A PRELIMINARY STUDY OF FUNGAL ISOLATES OF CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE.

Background: (AW, a popular medicinal plant has been used in traditional medicine to treat a variety of skin disorders including pityriasis versicolor and seborrheic dermatitis. As a prelude to clinical trials in humans, an experimental study was carried out to determine the spectrum of antifungal activity of 2 variants of the plant.

Materials And Methods: The ethanol extract and herbal cream formulation of the dried leaves of 2 cultivars (Macrophylla & Hoffmani) of were investigated for antifungal activity by disc diffusion and micro-broth dilution techniques. Organisms tested were typed cultures of , and ; and clinical strains of and .

Results: Both cultivars (Macrophylla and Hoffmanii) of the plant showed good activity against all the fungi tested except (8.0±0.00; 7.00±0.00 mm). The greatest activity was observed against (22.0±0.00; 24.00±0.00 mm). The Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC) of the crude extract ranged between 0.25 and 8 mg/ml for all organisms, while that of the herbal cream was 0.31-8mg/ml. The lowest MIC was seen with for both varieties of the plant. The Hoffmanii demonstrated a greater activity against and than the Macrophylla.

Conclusion: This study reveals has potential for development as a cream that can be used to treat superficial fungal skin infections.