Inhibitory effects of Artemisia capillaris extract on the pathogenic bacteria in mice

Artemisia capillaris THUNB is a perennial herb that belongs to the family Compositae spp and the most common plant among the various herbal folk remedies used in treatment of abdominal pain, hepatitis, chronic liver disease, jaundice and coughing in Korea. This experiment was conducted to investigate the inhibitory effects of orally administrated Artemisia capillaris extracts on the pathogenic bacteria in 200 ICR mice. The experimental groups showed inhibitory effects on the bacteria in 1-3 days after inoculation. After 21 days of inoculation, no viable bacterial cells appeared in the feces of both experimental groups while they did appear in the control group. The results of these studies indicate Artemisia capillaris extract exhibited excellent antimicrobial and inhibitory effects on the food poisoning pathogenic bacteria; S. enteritidis, E. coli O157:H7, L. monocytogenes and S. aureus.