Abstract
BackgroundCymbopogon species are widely used as herbal remedies by the traditional healers living in Nkonkobe Municipality for the treatment and management of skin and respiratory infections. According to our survey, the plants seem to be very important because of the higher demands.MethodsThe leaves of C. validis and C. plurinodis were hydro-distilled and the resulted extracted oils were analyzed by GC/MS. Minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) ranging from 7.8 to 500.0 μg/ml of the extracted oils were tested against eight bacterial strains, using micro-well dilution method. The human Chang liver cell viability was determined using the CellTiter-Blue cell assay.ResultsGC-MS analysis of the C. validis essential oil amounted to 87.03%, major components identified were Linalyl alcohol (18.9%), 2-Nephthalenemethanol (6.67%), Longifolene (6.53%), Cubedol (6.08%). Total oil percentage of C. plurinodis was 81.47% and the main components were characterized as 3-Cyclohexane-1-ol (13.58%), Nerolidol (13.6%) and 2-Carene (12.6%). The essential oils from both plants were found to be active against the growth of Gram positive than the Gram negative bacterial tested. Lethal dose at 50 (LD50) of both plants showed 74.87 ± 1.41 and 81.66 ± 1.40 degree of toxicity at 24 h.ConclusionBoth plants extracts were toxic to human Chang liver cell lines.
Highlights
Cymbopogon species are widely used as herbal remedies by the traditional healers living in Nkonkobe Municipality for the treatment and management of skin and respiratory infections
Sensory evaluation and essential oil yield The first steps of plant essential oil testing usually begin with sensory evaluation
This help to evaluate the colour, clarity and odour intensity of any essential oil. These attributes are usually stored in their security cells, such as cavities, glandular trichomes or epidermic cells [8]
Summary
Cymbopogon species are widely used as herbal remedies by the traditional healers living in Nkonkobe Municipality for the treatment and management of skin and respiratory infections. Two others namely; Cymbopogon plurinodis and C. validis have been identified growing abundantly in the bushveld and pasture cultivated fields around Hosback area, in Nkonkobe Municipality, in the Eastern Cape. Each of these plant species is quite different from each other, by the presence or absence of silica thones aligned on their leaf edges, leaves bear glandular hairs, and stacked with both basal and distal cells. According to the traditional healers of the study area, both plants can grow in all soil types Cultivars of these plants prefer heavier soils such as loamy and gravely soil for quick growth, as this helps the plant to form dominant stands during dry seasons.
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