Relationship between antibacterial and antifungical activities of Baccharis trinervis (Lam.) Pers. And Vernonia cinerea (L.) Less. (Asteraceae) and its use in folkloric medicine

Abstract

Background and Aim: The folkloric knowledge about medicinal properties of plants is, generally, a combination of empirical observation, guess and fantasy. Baccharis trinervis (Lam.) Pers. is used in folk medicine for the treatment of impotence, snake bites, thyphus, stomach ache and hepatic diseases, while the aerial parts of Vernonia cinerea (L.) Less. are used for the treatment of cholera, malaria, pulmonary and skin infections, cough, wounds and conjunctivitis. In this study, we evaluated the antimicrobial activity of extracts from B. trinervis And V. Cinerea and compared results obtained with folkloric medicinal use of these species. Materials and Methods: Antibacterial and antifungal test were performed using the disc-diffusion method. The use of the species under study in the popular pharmacopoeia was obtained from a wide literature review. Conclusion: The present study showed that Vernonia cinerea and Baccharis trinervis extracts exhibit varying degree of antimicrobial activity. Furthermore, this work validates the use of V. cinerea in folkloric medicine.

Keywords

• Baccharis trinervis
• Vernonia cinerea
• antimicrobial activity
• traditional medicine