Fungicidal effects of homoeopathic medicines versus allopathic ketoconazole in Candida albicans

Abstract

Background: Candida albicans, accounts for more than 75% of all Candidal infections. Apart from its growing prevalence, it is also one of the most resistant strains against antifungal medication. Homoeopathy is an alternative to allopathic medication and has shown inhibiting fungal growth. Objective: This study was to determine effectiveness of homoeopathic tinctures and medications versus allopathic Ketoconazole in growth inhibition and fungicidal properties against in vitro cultures of C. albicans. Materials and Methods: Efficacy of five antifungal agents were tested for inhibiting fungal growth and their fungicidal properties on cultured C. albicans the agents tested were Eucalyptus globulus and Ocimum basilicum in essential oil form, Benzoicum Acidum 30C and Kali Iodatum 30C in tablet form, and compared with the effect of 100 mg Ketoconazole in powder form. Results: In the growth inhibition trial, O. basilicum had the largest zone of inhibition followed by E. globulus following. The ketoconazole group showed similar inhibition rates with Benzoicum Acidum 30C, and Kali Iodatum 30C showed more inhibition than Ketoconazole. The present data suggests that no individual agent had an effective fungicidal effect on C. albicans, only causing a minimal reduction on the surface in the fungal colony. Conclusion: Results indicate that essential oils O. basilicum and E. globulus were most effective in growth inhibition. However, both essential oil and homoeopathic treatment had limited fungicidal properties. This concludes that homoeopathic alternatives can be effective in preventing fungal infections but may be less effective in treatment of a fully developed C. albicans infection.