Efficacy of spermococe hispida oil preparation against scalp yeast and bacterial infections

Spermacoce hispida L (Rubiaceae) commonly called Nattai Choori in Tamil has been utilized in common folk medicine. This study conducted an extraction and antibacterial analysis of crude Spermacoce hispida seed (SHS) oil. In a Soxhlet device, the dried and powdered plant material of Spermacoce hispida was heated for extraction using methanol for 48 hours and concentrated in a rotatory evaporator. Preparation of SHS Gel was done by stirring (150 RPM) with paraffin and olive oils in equal concentrations for 5 min to obtain a homogenous transparent mixture. Methanolic extract of SHS was added to the mixture at a concentration of 0.1% w/w. The antibacterial properties of the SHS oil extract were tested against Candida albicans, E. Coli, Streptococcus aureus, and Staphylococcus aureus. Throughout the test extracts investigated for their antifungal action, fluconazole was the reference medication, whereas ciprofloxacin was employed for the antibacterial experiments. The findings demonstrated that the SHS oil had significantly higher effectiveness against the investigated bacterial and fungal species. Thus SHS gel can be better product for antibacterial treatment and anti-fungal treatment against candida albicans and can also be incorporated in the preparation of any other novel antifungal formulation for treatment of scalp yeast infections.