The Determination of Antibacterial Activities of Herbal-Infused Syrups Recommended for Use as Food Supplements

Aim: The study aimed to determine the antibacterial activities of herbal syrups sold as dietary supplements in pharmacies on various Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. Materials and Methods: In the study, the well diffusion and broth microdilution methods were used to determine the antibacterial activities of 3 different herbal syrups recommended for use in adults against Escherichia coli ATCC 25922, Klebsiella pneumoniae ATCC 700603, Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 29213 and Bacillus cereus ATCC 14579, while 3 different herbal syrups recommended for use as dietary supplements in children between the ages of 4-11 were examined against Escherichia coli ATCC 25922, Salmonella typhimurium ATCC 14028, Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 29213 and Enterococcus faecalis ATCC 29212. Results: According to the results of the study, all three of the herbal syrups recommended for adults and only one of the herbal syrups recommended for children showed antibacterial activity against the bacteria used in the study. When the data obtained from the methods used to determine antibacterial activity in the study were compared, it was determined that antimicrobial activity could not be detected with the well diffusion method, while syrups containing different herbal ingredients had antibacterial activity in various dilutions on different bacteria with the broth microdilution method. Conclusion: Study results indicate that herbal syrups recommended for use as dietary supplements have antibacterial activities on Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria that can cause various infectious diseases. In addition, the findings obtained from the study reveal the importance of the method used to determine the antibacterial activity. According to the study results, it was determined that the well diffusion method was not sufficient to detect antibacterial activity. The broth microdilution method has been determined to be a more sensitive method than the well diffusion method, as it can detect the antibacterial activities of pharmaceutical products in different concentrations.