Abstract
Tulbaghia violacea (wild garlic) is commonly used in traditional medicine for the treatment of various ailments including fungal infections, gastrointestinal ailments, asthma, fever, colds and pulmonary tuberculosis. We assessed the potential genotoxic effects of water extracts from the leaves, stems and roots of T. violacea using the Allium cepa assay. Extracts at concentrations of 100, 250, 500 and 1000 μg/mL were tested on root meristems of A. cepa. Ethidium bromide was used as a positive control whereas distilled water acted as a negative control. The results reveal that as the concentrations of the water extracts of T. violacea increased, the mitotic indices decreased. Similarly, the percentage of chromosomal aberrations was dependent on the concentration as well as on which part of the plant was used. The six most common chromosome aberrations included laggard chromosomes, chromosome bridges, c-mitosis, sticky chromosomes, formation of binuclei and formation of trinuclei. The presence of micronucleated cells at interphase also increased as the concentration of the water extracts increased. The results confirm that water extracts of T. violacea exert significant genotoxic effects at higher concentrations, with the stem extracts being more toxic than the leaf and root extracts at similar concentrations.
 Significance:
 
 Water extracts of T. violacea – a plant commonly used in traditional medicine – were found to have significant genotoxic effects at higher concentrations.
Highlights
There has been a significant increase in the number of herbal medicinal products globally
The results show that as the concentration of the crude extract increased, there was a significant (p
Water extracts of the roots at 250, 500 and 1000 μg/mL significantly decreased mitotic indices to 37.24%, 31.08% and 22.59%, respectively, whereas the 100 μg/mL treatment produced no significant change (MI=58.88%). These values were low when compared to the mitotic index for the negative control which was 61.83%
Summary
There has been a significant increase in the number of herbal medicinal products globally. The plant is found in the Eastern Cape, KwaZulu-Natal and northern Gauteng in South Africa, and even as far north as Zimbabwe.[10] Tulbaghia violacea has traditionally been used extensively in South African traditional medicine for the treatment of HIV/Aids and oral fungal infections. It has found diverse application in the treatment of gastrointestinal ailments, including as a purgative for treatment of constipation; asthma; fever; colds; and pulmonary tuberculosis[10,11,12,13]; and as an anti-helminthic 14. Zulu communities in South Africa grow this plant around their homes as it is believed to repel snakes and the bulbs are used to prepare an aphrodisiac.[10,11,12]
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