Few publications have been dedicated to the antidiarrhoeal
properties of South African plants, and given the severity and mortality
rates of diarrhoeal-related diseases especially in rural areas,
not enough has been done to focus on one of the most prevalent diseases
affecting rural South Africans. An ethnobotanical study (disc
diffusion assay) of 21 plants, used traditionally to treat stomach
ailments in the Limpopo area, identified a number of plants with
potential antimicrobial properties against eight bacteria associated
with diarrhoea. Further quantitative data indicated that MIC values
ranged between 0.04 and 0.60 mg/ml, with Punica granatum and
Ozoroa insignis having the broadest spectrum of activity (Mathabe
et al., 2006). Lin et al. (2002) not only demonstrated the antimicrobial
potential against antidiarrhoeal pathogens, but also reported
on the ability of Bridelia micrantha (bark) and Eleutherina bulbosa
(bulb) to decrease faecal output and decrease mucocal inflammation