Wijesundara NM, Rupasinghe HPV. Herbal Tea for the Management of Pharyngitis: Inhibition of
Streptococcus pyogenes Growth and Biofilm Formation by Herbal Infusions.
Biomedicines 2019;
7:biomedicines7030063. [PMID:
31450579 PMCID:
PMC6783935 DOI:
10.3390/biomedicines7030063]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/04/2019] [Revised: 08/21/2019] [Accepted: 08/23/2019] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Herbal teas are becoming popular as functional beverages due to their various health promotional properties. This study aimed at assessing 13 hot water infusions (HWIs) from different herbs against streptococcal pharyngitis (strep throat). Licorice root exhibited the lowest minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC) of 1.56 mg/mL, followed by barberry root, thyme, and oregano flowering shoots, with a MIC of 3.13 mg/mL. At their respective minimum bactericidal concentrations (MBC), licorice showed the bactericidal effect on S. pyogenes within 12 h after exposure while others need 24 h for a similar outcome. The HWIs exhibited inhibitory activity on biofilm formation, ranging from 1.56 to 6.25 mg/mL, which confirmed by ruptured cells or clusters of dead cell debris observed in scanning electron microscope (SEM). Overall, non-toxic concentrations of efficacious HWIs from licorice root, barberry root, thyme, and oregano flowering shoots may provide potential sources for developing herbal teas or biomedicine for the management of S. pyogenes infections.
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