The increasing prevalence of antifungal-resistant Candida species, such as Candida albicans, Candida glabrata, and Candida parapsilosis, poses a significant challenge in managing oral and vaginal fungal infections in humans. This study investigates the antifungal potential of ginger (Zingiber officinale), a commonly used medicinal plant known for its antimicrobial properties, against these pathogenic Candida species in tropical Africa. Methanolic and aqueous extracts of ginger was examined for their antifungal activity, through preliminary antimicrobial screening, minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC), and minimum fungicidal concentration (MFC) assays. The species of candida isolated was described as F1 which aligns with Candida albicans, F2 with Candida parapsilosis, F3 with Candida krusei, and F4 with Candida galbrata. Candida albicans is known to produce germ tubes, while other Candida spp typically does not exhibit such structural characteristics. The methanolic extract was particularly effective against Candida albicans and Candida parapsilosis, while the aqueous extract was more potent against Candida krusei at a concentration of 75mg/ml and 100mg/ml with an inhibition zone diameter of 9.50mm and 18.00mm. The methanolic extract generally exhibited stronger antifungal activity than the aqueous extract suggesting its possible therapeutic application in treating candida associated infections.
C.B et al. (2026) studied this question.