Photo by V. Miller
March 23, 2005
Herbs as Antibiotics
Herbs vs. Pharmaceuticals: The Battle of the Antibiotics
Joy Ellen Hines, 11, Fort Wayne, Ind.
Finalist, Discovery Channel Young Scientist Challenge, 2004
Project background: Some of Joy's friends were using herbs instead of antibiotics to fight various infections. Joy had also read about the problem of antibiotic-resistant microbes. She wanted to know if herbs were a potential solution to the problem.
Tactics and results: Joy created solutions from eight herbs: teatree oil, astragalus, neem oil, grapefruit seed extract, garlic, olive leaf extract, lomatium, and usenea. She soaked sterile paper discs in each solution and placed the discs in agar plates with the bacteria E. coli and S. epidermidis. Joy did the same with six prescription antibiotics.
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| Photo by V. Miller |
Three of the herbs—grapefruit seed extract, olive leaf extract, and teatree oil—inhibited bacterial growth. The prescription antibiotics were more effective, but Joy concluded that herbs, too, are useful in the fight against microbes.
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