Antimicrobial Activity of some Medicinal Plants against Different Candida Species

The anticandidal activity of nineteen Jordanian plant extracts (Capparis spinosa L., Artemisia herba-alba Asso, Echinops polyceras Boiss., Gundelia tournefortii L, Varthemia iphionoides Boiss. Blanche, Eruca sativa Mill., Euphorbia macroclada L., Hypericum trequetrifolium Turra, Achillea santolina L., Mentha longifolia Host, Origanum syriacum L., Phlomis brachydo (Boiss.) Zohary, Teucrium polium L., Anagyris foetida L., Trigonella foenum-graecum L., Thea sinensis L., Hibiscus sabdariffa L., Lepidium sativum L., Pimpinella anisum L.) were tested against Candida albicans ATCC 10231, Candida glabrata ATCC 1615 and Candida krusei ATCC 6258) in addition to some other clinical isolates of these species. Fluoconazole was used as a reference standard to determine the sensitivity of the strains. The minimum inhibitory concentration ranged from 3.1 to 25 mg ml-1. Most of the extracts exhibited anticandidal effect. Although the in vitro obtained findings are promising, the extracts need further studies to be standardized for in vivo therapeutic applications.