Bahera found to be effective against antibiotic-resistant bacteria

Researchers from the University of Peradeniya, the National Institute of Fundamental Studies, and the Veterinary Research Institute in Sri Lanka found that bahera (Terminalia bellirica) has potent antibacterial activity. In their study, which was published in BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine, they found that it was effective even against multi-drug resistant (MDR) bacteria.

• The increased use and misuse of antibiotics has led to the emergence of MDR bacteria. This is a major health concern since infections caused by MDR bacteria are associated with higher mortality risk and are harder to treat.
• According to the World Health Organization, scientists should be focused on finding substances that are effective against MDR Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Acinetobacter baumannii, Klebsiella pneumoniae, and E. coli.
• Dried ripe fruit from bahera, also known as bastard myrobalan, is traditionally used as a remedy for diarrhea, cough, hoarseness of voice, eye diseases, and scorpion stings. Previous studies have shown that it has the ability to improve blood sugar, relieve pain, cure ulcers, improve blood pressure, and eliminate fungi and bacteria.
• In this study, the researchers evaluated the antibacterial activity of bahera extracts against 16 MDR bacterial strains of Acinetobacter, E. coli, K. pneumoniae, P. aeruginosa, and S. aureus. They also tested the extracts for antioxidant activity as well as toxicity.
• The results of the study showed that bahera has potent antibacterial activity against MDR bacteria, as well as antioxidant activity. Moreover, the extracts were shown to be non-toxic to mammalian cells.

From these results, the researchers concluded that bahera contains compounds that have potential use against infections caused by MDR bacteria. This is because of its potent antibacterial and antioxidant activity, as well as its non-toxicity.

The full text of the study is available at this link.

Read more news articles on natural antibacterial substances by visiting NaturalHealth.news.

Journal Reference:

Dharmaratne MPJ, Manoraj A, Thevanesam V, Ekanayake A, Kumar NS, Liyanapathirana V, Abeyratne E, Bandara BMR. TERMINALIA BELLIRICA FRUIT EXTRACTS: IN-VITRO ANTIBACTERIAL ACTIVITY AGAINST SELECTED MULTIDRUG-RESISTANT BACTERIA, RADICAL SCAVENGING ACTIVITY AND CYTOTOXICITY STUDY ON BHK-21 CELLS. BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine. 7 December 2018;18(325). DOI: 10.1186/s12906-018-2382-7