FORMULATION AND EVALUATION OF CREAMS CONTAINING THE ETHANOLIC EXTRACTS OF OCIMUM GRATISSIMUM L. (LAMIACEAE) AND CHROMOLAENA ODORATA L. (ASTERACEAE) FOR THEIR ANTIMICROBIAL ACTIVITY

Some medicinal plants have found usefulness as natural antibiotics. Formulating such into suitable dosage forms would help to enhance their administration and effectiveness. The aim of this research was to formulate creams containing ethanolic leaf extracts of Ocimum gratissimum and Chromolaena odorata for their antimicrobial activity and to evaluate their physicochemical properties. The leaves of the two medicinal plants were extracted using ethanol and dried thereafter. The extracts were tested against bacteria (Staph aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Bacillus subtilis) and fungi (Candida albicans, Aspergillus niger). The combined extracts was formulated into creams using Aqueous Cream and Buffered Cream BP as cream bases and were evaluated for their physicochemical properties and also tested against the test organisms. The results show that the extraction yield was 9.2 and 26.71% for Ocimum gratissimum and Chromonaela odorata respectively. The extracts and the formulated creams were active against the test organisms. Staph. aureus was the most susceptible bacterium with an average inhibition zone of 28.75±6.09 mm for the concentrations tested, and while both fungi were sensitive to the extracts, Candida albicans was more sensitive than Aspergillus niger. Both cream bases showed good release of the active ingredient against the test organisms with an average inhibition zone of 22 ±3.52 and 23±3.16 mm for Aqueous cream BPC and Buffered cream BP bases respectively. The creams could be effectively used in the treatment of microbial skin infections.