Abstract
Escherichia coli microbes are found in the environment, foods, and is a normal inhabitant of the healthy gut of people and animals. E coli is usually harmless within its habitat but can also be responsible for a variety of human diseases and considerably contributes to morbidity and mortality rates across the globe annually. Since E coli has become more resistant to conventional treatments and current combined treatments often produce serious side effects, research into alternative complementary medicines treatments strategies are on the rise. Homeopathy is a science-based medical practice which makes use of specially prepared medicines and that can often provide antimicrobial action without any side effects. The medicinal value of Syzygium cumin (L.) Skeels and Gymnema sylvestre (Retz.) R.Br. ex Sm. has been reported extensively, due to the chemical composition of its extractions. It is commonly known for its antidiabetic treatment values, however it also contains a variety of other properties such as anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial and gastroprotective. The aim of this study was to determine the antibacterial activity of homeopathic preparations of Syzygium cumini (L.) Skeels and Gymnema sylvestre (Retz.) R.BR. Ex Sm. tinctures (Ø) on twenty different strains of Escherichia coli. This organism was chosen as it poses serious threat globally and is a major concern as antimicrobial resistance increases. The study was done by means of the Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC) according to the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI) guidelines with solvent and antibiotic controls (negative and positive). Results were analysed using GraphPad Prism version 9 software and SPSS version 27.0. The results from this study demonstrated that Syzygium cumini (L.) Skeels and Gymnema sylvestre (Retz.) both have antimicrobial actions against E. coli by inhibiting growth at certain concentrations for a limited amount of time. This study widens the current therapeutic knowledge value of Syzygium cumini (L.) Skeels and Gymnema sylvestre (Retz.), however further investigation is required in order to determine the optimal concentration of tinctures and the dosage intervals need to induce an effective bactericidal outcome.
M.Tech. (Complementary Medicine)