Romanian researchers targeted the great willow herb, known for its antimicrobial properties, and derived a number of extracts from the plant. Once these were screened against fungi and bacteria to determine their infection-fighting efficacy, they tested the extracts along with a series of antibiotics.
They found that, when applied along with the herb extract, antibiotics were more effective in fighting resistant infections than they were on their own.
“Together, these results demonstrate not only [great willow herb] extract’s own antimicrobial properties, but also the capacity to influence the antimicrobial potency of some common antibiotics,” the authors concluded. “These results could be useful for the area of herbal medicines and as potential candidates in managing microbial resistance, but also for physicians and pharmacists using combined antibacterial therapy.”
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