FORMULATION AND EVALUATION OF HERBAL OINTMENTS CONTAINING ROOT BARK EXTRACT OF TERMINALIA MACROPTERA GUILL AND PERR (COMBRETACEAE) FOR ANTIBACTERIAL ACTIVITY

A herbal medicine formulation is any medicinal product exclusively containing one or more herbs or processed herb in specified quantities as the active ingredients to provide specific therapeutic, nutritional, cosmetic and other benefits. Ointments are viscous semisolid preparations used topically on a variety of body surfaces. This study was aimed at formulating and evaluating herbal ointments from the root bark extract of Terminalia macroptera for its antibacterial activity. The various parts of Terminalia macroptera were extracted using dichloromethane, acetone, methanol and water. The extracts were subjected to antibacterial screening using Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus subtilis, Streptococcus pneumoniae, Salmonella typhi, Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa as test organisms. Acetone extract was formulated into ointment and the ointment evaluated physicochemically. Acetone extract had the highest yield (18.80%) and antimicrobial activity. The formulated acetone root bark extract ointment using anionic ointment base demonstrated good physicochemical property, and antibacterial activity against the test organisms.