About Authors:
Sarepaka a.*1, Dhamodaran p.1, Singh a.2, Nilani P.1, Duraiswamy B1
1Department of Pharmacognosy, JSS College of Pharmacy, Ootacamund, Tamilnadu, India 643001
2Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, JSS College of Pharmacy, Ootacamund, Tamilnadu, India 643001
*sarepaka.aparna@yahoo.in
Abstract:
World Health Organisation (WHO) recommends The Directly Observed Treatment Short-course (DOTS) strategy of tuberculosis (TB) treatment which includes a course of first line as well as second line antibiotics. Unfortunately, from nearly the moment drugs became available for the treatment of TB, resistance became a problem.[1] Also, the price of these medications is high; thus poor people in the developing world have no or limited access to these treatments.[2] Herbal treatment, however, presents the potential to provide an affordable, available, culturally relevant method to manage tuberculosis. Currently, botanicals are the most competent way to bridge the gap between isolated developing cultures and modern science.[3] As botanicals attain a more prominent role in modern health care, the quality, safety and activity of these products must be assessed. The tribal medicinal men of Nilgiris district use commonly available plants for the treatment of tuberculosis. In this study, we evaluated five such plants for their antitubercular activity in vitro, namely,Withania somnifera, Allium cepa, Zingiber officinale, Glycyrrhiza glabra andAsparagus racemosus, individually as well as in combination. The results revealed that the combination of these extracts have significant inhibitory effect Mycobacterium tuberculosis growth.