Bacteriocidal Activities of Ginger Zingiber Officinale on Selected Bacteria Species

Ginger (Zingiber officinale) has varying pharmacological potencies as well as antibacterial activities against bacterial pathogens Ginger (Zingiber officinale) is an evergreen aromatic medicinal plant of West Africa which produces a variety of complex chemical compound. The result of the inhibitory effect of Ginger (Zingiber officinale) Ethanol and Methanol extract on microorganisms according to the analysis above, shows that the methanol plant extract could cause a high zone of inhibition compared to the ethanol plant extract which generally showed a lower zone of inhibition. That is to say, the methanol plant extract is the more effective than the ethanol plant extract on the microorganisms. The results of this research has showed that the extracts Ginger (Zingiber officinale) both ethanol and methanol was more active against Escherichia coli with a mean zone of inhibition of 19.0mm and 23.0mm for ethanol and methanol plant extracts respectively. This was followed by Bacillus sp. With a mean zone of inhibition of 18.0mm and 19.0mm for ethanol and methanol plant extracts respectively. All other bacterial species had a zone of inhibition within the average of 12mm for the ethanol plant extract and 17mm for the methanol plant extracts. The development of resistance of pathogens to many commonly used drugs is a major global health problem. There is therefore the need for newer drugs or agents that will combat these organisms and pose little or no risk to the patient. Extracts of Ginger (Zingiber officinale) of natural origin were found to possess activities against Escherichia coli, Salmonella sp. Bacillus sp., Streptococcus sp. And Staphylococcus aureus. The antibacterial activity and inhibition activity of ginger extracts could be attributed to the chemical properties of ginger. The main constituents of ginger are sesquiterpenoids with zingiberene as the main component. Other components include ßsesquiphellandrene, bisabolene and farnesene, which are sesquiterpenoids, and trace monoterpenoid fraction. These plants are cheap; available so can be formulated into preparations of effective known concentrations that can be used in the treatment of infections caused by these organisms. They are of plant origin, used in the food industry so might be ‘body friendly. Some antibiotics have been obsolete because of the problem of drug resistance. Thus improvement of health using herbs as raw materials should be reconsidered. Ginger (Zingiber officinale) is a known invasive weed in Nigeria and readily spreads with case inhabiting any available space. The ability of Ginger (Zingiber officinale) exhibiting antimicrobial activities in the current research work indicates a potential for alternative use of the weed as raw materials for the production of medicine that can be used in diseases caused by these microorganisms.