Garcinia kola (Bitter Kola) as an Antimicrobial Agent: Effects on the normal flora of the mouth.

Abstract

Abstract: This work investigated the effects of Garcinia kola (bitter kola) on the normal flora of the mouth. Two methods were adopted in this work. In the first method, the bacterial load of saliva samples collected after chewing Garcinia kola for days 1-5 decreased drastically when compared to bacterial load from saliva samples collected without chewing G. kola. ln method two, Garcinia kola extract was obtained and impregnated on filter paper discs. These were used for sensitivity testing on samples collected from early morning mouth swabs of the volunteers. Various sizes of zones of inhibition were obtained and measured. The various results obtained from this research work, methods, 1and 2, showed that bitter kola possesses properties that reduces the bacterial load (normal flora: Streptococcus spp, Staphylococcus spp, Morexelle spp and Neisseria spp) of the mouth.