Title : A study of individual ethnobotanical knowledge and antimicrobial efficacy of hypericum kiboense and hypericum peplidifolium plants utilized in the management of urinary tract infections by the kikuyu community of aberdare ranges, Kenya
Abstract:
Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are significant global public health issues that affect females more frequently, causing morbidity and mortality. The most common cause is bacteria, such as Escherichia coli. Although antibiotics are effective in treating UTIs, they have side effects and can lead to the development of resistance, which has led to the investigation of alternative treatments. Medicinal plants, such as Hypericum kiboense and Hypericum peplidifolium, have been used to treat UTIs, but there is insufficient data on their safety and effectiveness. This research aims to study the prevalence of usage, understand the nature of self-healing, and evaluate the antimicrobial efficacy of Hypericum kiboense and Hypericum peplidifolium plants, which are used to manage UTIs by the Kikuyu community of Aberdare Ranges in Kenya. The study will take place in the Aberdare Ranges, and efficacy testing will be conducted using commercially available standard microbial strains. The Kirby-Bauer disk diffusion methods will be used for testing antibacterial efficacy. Results will be presented as the mean ± standard error of the mean and analyzed using IBM ®SPSS Statistics. The study's findings could guide future research efforts for the commercial use, validation, conservation, and standard implementation of herbal medicines to ensure efficacy, safety, and quality.
