Abstract:
Senna tea is a popular herbal remedy that’s often marketed as a laxative, weight loss aid, and
detox method. However, there’s little scientific evidence to support the efficacy of Senna tea
for most of these uses aside from treating constipation. The aim of the study is to evaluate the
antibacterial activity of Senna tea leaves, stems, bark and roots for their ethno medicinal use
and their activity on selected bacterial and fungal strains. The antibacterial activity of tea Senna
extracts against standardized inoculums of Escherichia coli, staphylococcus aureus and
Candida albicans were evaluated using the disk diffusion method. The results were obtained
by measuring the clear zones that had formed around the bacterial and fungal growth of the
isolates at different concentrations of the tea Senna extract. The results showed that the extract
had antifungal activity against Candida albicans with the inhibition zones measuring 18mm
and antibacterial activity against Escherichia coli with inhibition zones measuring 16mm. The
study provides useful information and insights into antimicrobial activities on plant extract that
can be used in drug development.
