Determination of the antibacterial effect of some natural products against some gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria

Objective
This study evaluates the antibacterial activity of five natural substances (hot water extract of cinnamon sticks, peppermint, and lemon leaves, Egyptian local packed honey, and Yemeni Sidr honey) against some gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria.
Materials and methods
The well diffusion method was first used to evaluate the antibacterial effect of each of these tested natural products on the tested organisms. The minimal inhibitory concentration and the minimal bactericidal concentration were detected for the effective substances. The highly effective antimicrobial ones were chosen to investigate their effect on the tested organisms by graphing the bacterial growth curve of each bacterium before and after treatment.
Results and conclusion
The findings indicated lower antibacterial effect of the three plant extracts compared with both bee honey samples. Yemeni Sidr honey, local honey, and cinnamon extract were the more potent antibacterial agents, respectively. Minimal inhibitory concentration and minimal bactericidal concentration of these three natural substances ranged between 10 and 80% for the tested organisms. Bacterial growth curve indicated that honey had powerful antimicrobial activity that did not allow bacteria to grow, especially after treatment with Yemeni Sidr honey. The study recommends that herbal extracts and honeys could potentially be used as therapeutic agents against bacterial infection particularly on the tested microorganisms.