ABSTRACT
The Combretaceae plant family (comprising 600 or more species) of shrubs and trees is divided among 20 genera, of which the Combretum genus (250 species) of tropical and deciduous trees encompasses the largest number.1 Some 24 species of Combretum are well-known in African folk medicine for applications and problems ranging from heart and worm remedies to wound dressings, treatment for the mentally ill, and scorpion stings.2 A 2007 report suggests that a number of these traditional medical uses may reside with potent antifungal constituents against dimorphic fungi, molds, and yeasts.3 The methanol extracts of Combretum moggii, Combretum petrophilum, and Combretum nelsonii proved to be most active against all the pathogens evaluated. An acetone extract of Combretum caffrum was found very inhibitory [minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC): 0.02 mg/mL] especially for Microsporum canis.
