Safety Studies of Acmella Caulirhiza And Spermacoce Princeae Used By Postpartum Mothers In Nyamira County, Kenya

Abstract

Introduction: Puerperal sepsis is the major cause of (31%) maternal mortality. Appropriate care could prevent majority of these deaths. Exogenous and endogenous organisms are the causatives agents. Traditional medicine have been used in treating postpartum sepsis for example Acmella caulirhiza used to treat a child’s mouth sores and Spermacoce princeae used to accelerate healing of umbilical cord and to clean the system after birth. Objestive: The main objective of the present study was to determine safety of A. caulirhiza and S. princeae used by postpartum mothers in Nyamira County, Kenya. Methodology: The study area was Nyamira County where the two plant specimens were collected. Plant materials were identified at East Africa Herbarium. Plant specimens were transported to Mount Kenya University Pharmacognosy laboratory where processing was done. Brine shrimp toxicity testing methods were employed to determine safety of the two crude plant extracts. Data was stored in Excel spread sheet in a personal computer protected with a password. Toxicity results were analyzed using the graph pad prism version 5 to estimate IC50 values. Data was presented using, tables and photographs. Results: Brine shrimp lethality test of the two plants indicated that the plants were non-toxic. Conclusion and recommendation: The two plants may be considered safe for use in treating puerperal sepsis though commercially available drugs are recommended as they are highly effective. The two plants may be considered safe for medicinal use and can be a potent source of complementary and modern medicine. Further studies are recommended on genotoxicity of this plant extracts on S. aureus and E. coli genes