Spices and Herbs in Bacterial and Fungal Resistance

A plethora of pathogenic microorganisms is responsible for several infectious diseases. For many decades, the treatment of microbial infections includes the use of various antimicrobial agents. However, the extensive use of antibiotics has been found to develop multiple drug resistance (MDR) in many pathogens. Furthermore, the rate of MDR is higher in developing countries because of indiscriminate use and self-medication. The emergence of MDR limits the effectiveness and therapeutic options for common infections. As a result, much attention is given to naturally derived products that can be used as potential, with better efficacy, less expensive alternative, and safe antimicrobials for the treatment of common infections. Herbal medicines have always been used as an alternative to treat diseases due to toxicity and associated side effects of allopathic medicines. In recent years, the use of herbs and spices in therapy has been gradually increasing in many developing countries because of their safety, efficacy, and other beneficial effects. Spices and herbs have been used for thousands of years for flavouring and preserving foods. Many of these herbs and spices, such as thyme, cinnamon, clove, oregano, cardamom, nutmeg, mint, and cumin, are known to exert a range of therapeutic activities, including antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anticancerogenic. These are also useful for preventing lipid oxidation and free radical scavenging agents in living organisms. Spices and herbs demonstrate antimicrobial activity due to the presence of some of the important phytochemicals or essential oils, which are naturally toxic to microbes. The phytochemical screening disclosed the presence of a number of secondary metabolites such as resins, phenols, alkaloids, flavonoids, sterols, reducing sugars, tannins, glycosides, etc. and various essential oils which act on a wide range of microorganisms such as fungi, viruses, bacteria, protozoa, etc. The antimicrobial activity of the spices depends on the composition, the type of the spices, and various other environmental factors. The mechanism of its action by which these phytoconstituents act is generally complex and mostly depends on the presence of chemical constituents. It is also affected by the different cell wall components, such as its composition and the presenceof different proteins on the cell envelope, as these are the major components that interact with the molecules. Some essential oils in plants cause partial disintegration due to the disruption of the lipopolysaccharide in the outer layer. It also inhibits the synthesis of nucleic acids, polysaccharides, and proteins in bacterial and fungal cells. Thus, the use of spices and herbs presents a great potential to be used as an alternative or in addition with the allopathic medicine to decrease the side effects and progressively increase the resistance of pathogens induced by the use of allopathic drugs.