Screening of Mexican Medicinal Plants for Antiprotozoal Activity

Abstract

AbstractThe MeOH extracts from 19 Mexican medicinal plants belonging to different families have been assessed for antiprotozoal activity against Entamoeba histolytica and Giardia lamblia. Five plant extracts, derived from Acalypha phleoides, Cnidoscolus tehuacanensis, Geranium niveum, Hellianthella quinquenervis and Teloxys graveolens, were found to possess significant activity against both protozoa, but were less potent than metronidazole. These findings tend to support the ethnomedical use of the species for the treatment of infectious diarrhoea in Mexican traditional medicine.