Ashwagandha extract kills wound bacteria in livestock trials
Arbab S, Ullah H, Khan MS, Alsharif KF, Alzahrani FM, Alzahrani KJ, Zeng Z, Ka L.
Medicinal Plants
The ashwagandha you might grow as an ornamental or the prickly chaff flower weed at the edge of a pasture both carry compounds that stopped infection-causing bacteria cold in lab tests.
Scientists tested five traditional medicinal plants against bacteria pulled from infected wounds on farm animals. Ashwagandha extract stood out, clearing large zones of Staphylococcus aureus bacteria in petri dishes, while another plant called prickly chaff flower worked well against E. coli. The plants contain natural chemicals like flavonoids and tannins that seem to give them real bacteria-fighting power, especially against a group of bacteria called Gram-positive.
Key Findings
Of 216 bacterial isolates from 250 livestock wound samples, Staphylococcus aureus (19.2%) and E. coli (13.6%) were the most common pathogens.
Withania somnifera (ashwagandha) extract produced inhibition zones of 21-24 mm against Staphylococcus aureus, indicating strong antibacterial activity.
Achyranthes aspera (prickly chaff flower) showed notable activity against E. coli with 13-17 mm inhibition zones; overall, Gram-positive bacteria were more susceptible to plant extracts than Gram-negative bacteria.
chevron_right Technical Summary
Researchers found that plants like ashwagandha and prickly chaff flower can fight the bacteria causing wound infections in livestock, sometimes as effectively as targeted treatment, offering a potential low-cost alternative as antibiotic resistance grows.
Abstract Preview
Original paper
Phytochemical Composition and Antibacterial Activity of Medicinal Plants Against Bacterial Pathogens Isolated From Livestock Wound Infections.
Livestock wound infections are a major challenge in veterinary medicine due to the increasing prevalence of bacterial pathogens and antimicrobial resistance. This study evaluated the phytochemical ...
open_in_new Read full abstractAbstract copyright held by the original publisher.
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Withania somnifera, known commonly as ashwagandha, is an evergreen shrub in the Solanaceae family that is native to the Middle East and North Africa, other African regions, southern Europe, Indian subcontinent, and across Southeast Asia. Several other species in the genus Withania are morphologic...