Preliminary report on antimicrobial activity of Helichrysum litoreum Guss.

The authors present the preliminary results regarding the antibacterial action of extracts of Helichrysum litoreum Guss. The leaves and the young stems of this species, gathered on the slopes of Mt Vesuvius, in the Campania region, were ground and four extracts were made as follows: with dichloromethane, ethanol and water (70:30 v/v), water and methanol. The antibacterial activity of each of the samples was tested in order to determine which of the extracts was more antibacterial. The results of the test showed that the extract with the ethanol/water (70/30 v/v) was the most active one. This will allow us to advance in the research, purifying the extract and hopefully identifying the active principles.