Medicinal plants

Globally, millions of people in the developing world rely on medicinal plants to improve their primary health care, income generation and livelihood. An ethnomedicinal survey was conducted in four markets in Akure South Local Government Area of Ondo State, Nigeria. The aim was to document the diversity of medicinal herbs sold in the markets, their modes of preparation, the plant part(s) used, dosage, and the method of utilization. The respondents were primarily women, consisting of buyers and sellers of the herbals.

The antibacterial activity of aqueous, ethanolic and methanolic extracts of Ricinus communis were studied by the agar diffusion method. The ethanolic extract produced the greatest antimicrobial activity and the aqueous extract the least. Staphylococcus aureus was the most sensitive to the extracts while Bacteroides fragilis was the most resistant. The minimum bactericidal concentration of the extracts ranged between 60% (w/v) and 100% (w/v). Thus the extracts of Ricinus communis could be useful as a source of antibiotics against aerobic and anaerobic bacteria.

The antibacterial activity of aqueous, ethanolic and methanolic extracts of Ricinus communis were studied by the agar diffusion method. The ethanolic extract produced the greatest antimicrobial activity and the aqueous extract the least. Staphylococcus aureus was the most sensitive to the extracts while Bacteroides fragilis was the most resistant. The minimum bactericidal concentration of the extracts ranged between 60% (w/v) and 100% (w/v). Thus the extracts of Ricinus communis could be useful as a source of antibiotics against aerobic and anaerobic bacteria.