Bacteriological analysis and efficacy assessment of liquid herbal mixtures sold in Anyigba, Kogi state, Nigeria

Abstract

Objectives: The use of herbal treatment is an old practice usually employed in diseases treatments. It is sometimes referred to as complementary and alternative medicine (CAM). The aim of this study was to bacteriologically assess some liquid herbal mixtures sold in Anyigba, Kogi State, Nigeria. Materials and method: Eight (8) liquid herbal mixtures (4 NAFDAC registered and four unregistered) were purchased from different vendors in Anyigba and analyzed for their bacteriological quality by determining the levels of bacteria in them. Aliquots of the various serially diluted herbal products were cultured on nutrient agar media plates. Results: Total bacterial count of 4.0*103 – 5.2*104 CFU/ml, total coliform count of 2.0 x 102 to 4.4 x 105CFU/ ml. The result showed that 75% of the registered herbal mixtures met the World Health Organization standard of liquid herbal drugs while 28% of the unregistered ones met the WHO standard. There was a significant difference between the total heterotrophic bacterial count and total coliform of registered and unregistered drugs. Isolates gotten from both samples includes Enterobacter spp, Ancinetobacter spp, Staphylococcus spp, Bacillus spp. The antimicrobial susceptibility test by agar well diffusion methods showed that Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas spp was the most susceptible. Conclusion: The findings from this research work emphasized the need for constant quality assessment of herbal drugs on sale in order to ensure the production of therapeutic products of human consumption. The findings of this study showed that registered herbal mixtures have better bacteriological quality than the herbal mixtures have better bacteriological quality than the unregistered ones. It also showed that the herbal mixtures tested had high level of activity against some of the tested organisms. This implies that the herbal mixtures are safe for consumption but might not necessarily treat target infection.