Bacteriological Quality and Phytochemical Contents of Herbal Medicines

The bacteriological quality of powdered herbal preparations marketed in Kaduna metropolis was determined using the total aerobic plate count and the presence of some indicator bacteria. Phytochemical contents and some physical parameters of the herbal medicinal preparations were also determined. The antibacterial activities of the methanolic herbal extracts were compared with those of some antibiotics commonly prescribed in the studied area. The results showed that the bacterial load and the rate of occurrence of selected pathogenic bacteria in the herbal preparations varied considerably and well above recommended levels. Pathogenic bacteria such as Salmonella typhi, Shigella spp, E. coli and Staphylococcus aureus were the most frequently isolated . The physical parameters such as moisture content and PH of the preparations were observed to be positively correlated with the bacterial load. Phytochemicals such as carbohydrates, tannins, Alkaloids, saponins, anthraquinones, flavonoids and cardiac glycosides were identified. All the tested antibiotics had inhibitory activities on the test bacterial isolates at various minimum inhibitory concentrations.