Garlic and Ginger Inhibit Drug Resistant Bacteria

Garlic and Ginger Inhibit Drug Resistant Bacteria







Case Adams

Activist Post

Recent research has confirmed and quantified that whole extracts of Garlic and Ginger have the ability to stop several species of multi-drug resistant bacteria.

The newest research comes from Italy's University of Pisa. The
researchers tested garlic against the infective bacteria Staphylococcus
aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa
and Escherichia coli. The research found that all three bacteria
species were inhibited by the Garlic extract, which was taken from fresh
Garlic bulbs.

This research confirmed another recent study published in the Asian Pacific Journal of Tropical Biomedicine, and conducted by researchers from King Saud University and India's Rangasamy College.

This study focused on seven of the most dangerous superbugs – called
MDRs or multidrug resistant bacteria. These included E. coli, S. aureus,
P. aeruginosa, Enterococcus faecalis, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Proteus
mirabilis, Enterococcus cloacae and Bacillus subtilis.


The particular strains used in the study were some of the most
multi-drug resistant strains known. Some of the bacteria strains tested
against the Garlic and Ginger were resistant to more than 10 different
antibiotics. These antibiotics included ampicillin, amoxicillin,
amikacin, cephalothin, chloramphenicol, ciprofloxacin, ceftriaxone,
clindamycin, co-trimoxazole, erythromycin, gentamycin, kanamycin,
methicillin, novobiocin, nalidixic acid, norfloxacin, ofloxacin,
penicillin, rifampicin, streptomycin, tetracyclin and vancomycin.

The researchers utilized whole Garlic and Ginger for the tests - ground
with mortar and pestle. They utilized dimethyl sulphoxide as an extract
medium. The researchers conducted repeated multiple laboratory tests
using four different concentrations of the two herbal extracts, both
separately and together.

With
the exception of Enterobacter sp. and Klebsiella sp., the researchers
found that all of the bacteria tested were inhibited to some degree by
the ginger and garlic. The bacteria inhibited the most by Ginger
included P. aeruginosa, E. coli and Bacillus sp.

The Garlic extract inhibited P. aeruginosa the greatest, followed by E.
coli and Bacillus sp. The Garlic cloves ethanol extract showed similar
inhibition zones against Proteus sp., Enterobacter sp. and S. aureus.

The researchers added: "It is interesting to note that even crude
extracts of these plants showed good activity against multidrug
resistant strains where modern antibiotic therapy has limited effect."

The research also indicated that the antibiotic potential of these two
herbs was due to their combination of biochemicals - including their
tannin, saponin, phenol, flavonoid and essential oil content.

Learn more strategies to increase immunity and combat infection.

The antibiotic effects of these two herbs have been supported by other
studies, including one from researchers at India's University of the
Punjab. This study tested both Garlic and Ginger extracts against
Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Bacillus subtilis,
Staphylococcus aureus, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Shigella sonnei,
Staphylococcusepidermidis and Salmonella typhi. While the inhibitory
effect with Ginger was less, the Garlic extracts showed significant
inhibitory activity against these bacteria - some of the most lethal
infective species to humans.

The
two measurements used to quantify the ability of these herbs to inhibit
the bacteria in these studies included Minimum Inhibitory Concentration
(MIC) and Zone of Inhibition. The Minimum Inhibitory Concentration
measures the concentration of a substance in solution that will inhibit
the bacteria, and the Zone of Inhibition is the range of inhibition -
typically measured in millimeters. These measurements are also used to
quantify the ability of antibiotic drugs to inhibit bacteria. Lower MIC
levels and greater inhibition zones equate to higher levels of
antibiotic potential.

Both Garlic and Ginger have been used for centuries to combat infections
of different types. The use of these herbs has crossed over many
traditional medicines around the world as well.

Source:-
http://www.activistpost.com/2013/05/garlic-and-ginger-inhibit-drug.html