J Ethnopharmacol. 1994 Aug; 44(1): 35-40.

Antibacterial activity of plant extracts used externally in traditional medicine.

Brantner A, Grein E.

Institute of Pharmacognosy, University of Graz, Austria.

Plants of 28 families, selected on the basis of medicinal folklore reports and literature data, were studied in a screening program. Aqueous extracts of plants used externally for the treatment of infected skin lesions were tested for their antibacterial potential. The results indicated that about 60% of the plant extracts tested exhibited some level of antibacterial action.