Activity of east African medicinal plants against Helicobacter pylori

The activity of extracts from the East African medicinal plants Entada abyssinica (stem bark), Terminalia spinosa (young branches), Harrisonia abyssinica (roots), Ximenia caffra (roots), Azadirachta indica (leaves and stem bark) and Spilanthes mauritiana (roots and flowers) were evaluated against 12 strains of Helicobacter pylori. The most active extracts were those derived from T. spinosa with an MIC(50) of 125 mu g/ml, an MIC(90) of 250 mu g/ml and an MIC range of 62.5-500 mu g/ml. An MIC(50) of 250 mu g/ml and an MIC(90) of >4,000 mu g/ml was reached by H. abyssinica with a range of 125->4,000 mu g/ml and by X. caffra with a range of 62.5->4,000 mu g/ml, respectively. It is concluded that these plants contain compounds with antimicrobial activity against H. pylori.