Antibacterial activity of Hibiscus sabdariffa, Acacia seyal var. seyal and Sphaeranthus suaveolens var. suaveolens against upper respiratory tract pathogens

Introduction: Medicinal plants constitute an effective source of both traditional and modern medicines. The emergence of drug resistant bacteria mandates the need for newer antibiotics. Objective: To evaluate the antibiotic effect of Hibiscus sabdariffa. Methods: Three medicinal plants have been selected for investigation of their antibacterial activities; Hibiscus sabdariffa. (Dried calyces), acacia seyal var. seyal (fresh stem bark) and Sphaeranthus suaveolens var suaveolens (herbs) The extracts of these plants at concentration of 100mg/ml have been tested against seven strains of bacteria.; qualitative tests using the Agar Well Diffusion Method have been carried out. Results: E coli showed higher resistance to the plant extracts whereas Pseudomonas aeruginosa is more sensitive. Conclusion: Hibiscus sabdariffa extracts showed extensive inhibition zone and were, therefore, effective as antibacterial ingredient. Keywords: Hibiscus sabdariffa; Acacia seyal var. seyal; Sphaeranthus suaveolens var. suaveolens; antibacterial activities; respiratory tract pathogens. Sudan Journal of Medical Science Vol. 1 (2) December 2006: 121-12