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Ethnopharmacological Relevance: Plectranthus madagascariensis (Pers.) Benth. is an indigenous aromatic South African plant species that are traditionally used to treat various dermatological and respiratory ailments., Aim of the Study: Three varieties of P. madagascariensis exist in South Africa, namely, Plectranthus aliciae (Codd) van Jaarsv. & T.J. Edwards, Plectranthus ramosior (Benth.) Van Jaarsv. and Plectranthus madagascariensis (Pers.) Benth var. madagascariensis. This article summarizes the documented ethnobotanical uses and research which has been conducted to date on the chemical constituents and biological effects of P. madagascariensis and its varieties. This review aimed to investigate and highlight the lack scientific reports of the potential activity of these varieties based on their traditional usage and to emphasise the need for further investigation of the benefits of P. madagascariensis and its varieties., Materials and Methods: Extensive database retrieval using platforms not limited to but including Google Scholar, ScienceDirect and PubMed, was performed by using keywords such as "Plectranthus madagascariensis" "Plectranthus madagascariensis var. aliciae", "Plectranthus aliciae", "Plectranthus ramosior", "Plectranthus madagascariensis var. ramosior" and "Plectranthus hirtus" In addition, relevant books and digital documentation were consulted to collect all available scientific literature to provide a comprehensive review., Results: Several studies have reported the traditional usage of P. madagascariensis for the treatment of diseases related to the respiratory system such as coughs, colds and asthma as well as dermatological disorders associated with wounds and inflammation. Whilst there are no reports on the traditional usage of P. madagascariensis varieties to treat other maladies, several other species within the genus are used in other traditional practices. Plectranthus ramosior is used as a toxin for fishing. In literature, seven major phytochemical compounds have been identified from P. madagascariensis. Its extract and essential oil contain polyphenols, abietane diterpenes and abietane diterpenes with a quinone moiety. The extracts and major chemical constituents of P. madagascariensis and its major phytochemicals have reported activity against several biological targets. Reports relating to the antibacterial activity of P. madagascariensis against microbes associated with tuberculosis and wound infections has been consistent and correlates with the documented traditional usage of the plant. Literature reported on the antibacterial activity of P. aliciae targeting bacteria associated with wound infections and lung cancer cells. No further literature reports of the biological activity of the other P. madagascariensis varieties have been found. Other noteworthy biological activities reported in the literature of P. madagascariensis and its compounds include their activities against targets of Alzheimer's disease and breast cancer, in particular. This activity is not related to the traditional usage of the plant., Conclusion: Plectranthus madagascariensis and its compounds have been proven to be effective in treating a range of maladies. Based on the extensive literature on this plant, it can be concluded that numerous in vitro pharmacological activities of P. madagascariensis have been reported. However, there is a lack of information available for this species with regards to its in vivo data including both pre-clinical and clinical studies. Since the extract of P. madagascariensis and its isolated compounds have displayed noteworthy anticancer potential, we recommend further investigation of pharmacokinetic studies to be included in future research., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Ethnopharmacological Relevance: Multiple plant species were used traditionally in southern Africa to treat bacterial respiratory diseases. This review summarises this usage and highlights plant species that are yet to be verified for these activities., Aim of the Study: This manuscript reviews the traditional usage of southern African plant species to treat bacterial respiratory diseases with the aim of highlighting gaps in the literature and focusing future studies., Materials and Methods: An extensive review of ethnobotanical books, reviews and primary scientific studies was undertaken to identify southern African plants which are used in traditional southern African medicine to treat bacterial respiratory diseases. We also searched for southern African plants whose inhibitory activity against bacterial respiratory pathogens has been conmfirmed, to highlight gaps in the literature and focus future studies., Results: One hundred and eighty-seven southern African plant species are recorded as traditional therapies for bacterial respiratory infections. Scientific evaluations of 178 plant species were recorded, although only 42 of these were selected for screening on the basis of their ethnobotanical uses. Therefore, the potential of 146 species used teraditionally to treat bacterial respiratory diseases are yet to be verified., Conclusions: The inhibitory properties of southern African medicinal plants against bacterial respiratory pathogens is relatively poorly explored and the antibacterial activity of most plant species remains to be verified., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Ethnopharmacological Relevance: The use of popular plants has guided pharmaceutical research aimed at combating pathogenic microorganisms. Psidium guajava L. is a plant of great versatility and it has been used both as food and as a therapeutic agent. Root, bark, leaves, fruits, flowers and seeds are used for medicinal purposes, especially in infusions and decoctions for oral and topical use. P. guajava is utilized in symptomatology treatment related to organ malfunction and of diseases caused by the action of pathogenic and/or opportunistic microorganisms. Many pharmacological studies have been conducted to scientifically assess its therapeutic potential., Aims of Study: The aim of the current study is to relate the popular use of this plant and its bioscientific assessment as a therapeutic agent in the treatment of diseases and symptoms caused by the action of protozoa, fungi, bacteria and viruses, and also evaluate the safety for the usage and the interaction with drugs., Materials and Methods: A bibliographic database the ethnobiology of Psidium guajava (2005-2015) and the pharmacological infections and parasitic diseases (2010-2015). Searches were done in scientific disclosure databases such as PubMed, Web of Science, and Scopus., Results: P. guajava leaf extracts were scientifically investigated for the treatment of diseases caused by protozoa (leishmaniasis, malaria, giardiasis, amoebiasis and trichomoniasis), fungi (dermatosis, systemic and mucocutaneous diseases), bacteria (respiratory, mucocutaneous and gastrointestinal infections, cholera, gastritis and stomach ulcers, oral and periodontal infections, venereal diseases and urinary infections) and viruses (herpes, influenza, rotavirus disease and AIDS). The toxicity assays indicates the safet for usage., Conclusions: Highlight and elucidate the therapeutic potential and versatility of P. guajava. They also justify using ethnobiology efficiency to guide pharmacological studies. Some limitations can be observed in this kind of study, as the lack for ethnobiological informations and the absence of some controls in the assays., (Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Background: This study is a collaboration between Macquarie University researchers and the Yaegl Aboriginal Community of northern NSW, Australia to investigate the antimicrobial potential of plants used in the topical treatment of wounds, sores and skin infections. Based on previously documented medicinal applications, aqueous and aqueous ethanolic extracts of Alocasia brisbanensis, Canavalia rosea, Corymbia intermedia, Hibbertia scandens, Ipomoea brasiliensis, Lophostemon suaveolens and Syncarpia glomulifera and the aqueous extracts of Smilax australis and Smilax glyciphylla were tested against common wound pathogens, including antibiotic resistant bacterial strains., Methods: Plant material was prepared as aqueous extractions modelled on customary preparations and using 80% aqueous ethanol. Extracts were assayed against a selection of clinically relevant Gram positive (Streptococcus pyogenes and sensitive and resistant strains of Staphylococcus aureus) and Gram negative (Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Escherichia coli and Salmonella typhimurium) bacteria and a fungus (Candida albicans) using disc diffusion and MTT microdilution methods. Viability of treated microorganisms was determined by subculturing from microdilution assays., Results: The extracts of Corymbia intermedia, Lophostemon suaveolens and Syncarpia glomulifera had promising levels of antimicrobial activity (MIC 31-1,000 µg/mL) against both antibiotic sensitive and resistant Staphylococcus aureus as well as the fungus Candida albicans (clinical isolate)., Conclusion: Aqueous and 80% aqueous ethanolic extracts of Lophostemon suaveolens, Corymbia intermedia and Syncarpia glomulifera exhibited promising levels of antimicrobial activity against a range of both antibiotic sensitive and resistant strains of microorganisms. This is the first report of antimicrobial activities for C. intermedia and L. suaveolens and the leaves of S. glomulifera. This study demonstrates the value of customary knowledge in the identification of new sources of antimicrobial treatments.

Using ethnobotanical techniques, the medicinal flora used by the inhabitants of San Rafael Coxcatlán, Puebla was determined. During the field work, two types of interviews were applied (free listing and semi-structured) to 60 informants, who supplied consistent information concerning the use of 46 species of medicinal plants. Further analysis showed 13 categories of different medicinal use. An informant consensus factor was calculated and 16 species were selected due to their utilization in the treatment of diseases of possible bacterial origin. Of these 16 plants, sequential extractions were made with hexane, ethyl acetate and methanol. The obtained extracts were used to assess their antibacterial activity against 14 bacterial strains; 75% of the plants presented antibacterial activity. The medicinal species Jatropha neopauciflora Pax (Euphorbiaceae) and Juliania adstringens (Schldl.) Schldl. (Julianiaceae) were those that showed the biggest activity. Moreover, these species also had the highest informant consensus factor values.