An assessment of Hypoxis hemerocallidea extracts, and actives as natural antibiotic, and immune modulation phytotherapies

• Main Author: Muwanga, Catherine
• Other Authors: Johnson, Quinton
• Language: en
• Published: University of the Western Cape 2013
• Subjects: Materia medica; Vegetable - South Africa; Medicinal plants; harmacognosy; Plant extracts; Hypoxidaceae; Therapeutic use
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/11394/1996

Magister Scientiae - MSc === In South Africa, the crude aqueous extract from Hypoxis hemerocallidea is used by AIDS patients to treat opportunistic infections, such as tuberculosis. The rapid emergence of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis, and extreme drug resistant tuberculosis, in recent years, is a major threat to human health. The treatment of TB, nosocomial bacterial infections, and fungal infections is now a clinical challenge, especially in the immuno-compromised individual. There is a dire need for novel antibiotic alternatives with phytotherapies and plant-derived compounds as potentially promising alternatives. The main objective of this study was to investigate the antimycobacterial activity of Hypoxis hemerocallidea, a South African medicinal plant, using Mycobacterium smegmatis. === South Africa