XVI International Botanical Congess

Arctotis arctotoides is a decumbent herb commonly found as roadside weeds in most coastal districts of South Africa. Ethnomedical information gathered from the rural dwellers of the Eastern Cape Province has revealed the use of the herb for the treatment of epilepsy, indigestion and catarrh of the stomach. The Xhosas in the province apply the leaf juice or paste, topically, to treat wounds. Evaluation of the antibacterial activity of extracts from the aerial part of the plant on some randomly selected bacteria showed significant activity against both gram-positive and gram negative species, with MIC ranging from 1.0 to 5.0 mg/ml. The methanol extract was remarkably active against the fungi tested with the exception of Cladosporium herbarum. The other fungi appeared to be particularly susceptible to the methanol extract at a concentration of 1.0 mg/ml. Generally, the methanol extract was more active against all the microorganisms used. A broad spectrum antibiotic property of the herb is suspected.