The antifungal activity of Thai herbal extracts

Abstract

Multidrug resistance is of concern for current treatment of fungal infections. Research on the biological activities in particularly an antifungal property of Thai herbal oils has risen sharply. In this study, some Thai herbal extracts are selected to test for antifungal activity against yeast species, such as Candida albicans that is considered to be the key opportunistic fungal pathogen in human. The antifungal activities of coriander, cinnamon and clove oils were examined via spot and broth micro dilution assays. Other clinically antifungal drugs were also included in the tests for comparison. The results showed that increasing herbal oil concentrations result in the decrease in fungal growth. Thus, essential oils of Thai herbs, extracted by n-Hexane method, have promising antifungal activities and may be useful for development of natural antifungal agents.