Life Sciences Commons^™

Investigation Of Antimicrobial Properties Of Rhus Ovata Extracts, Sydney T. Adams

Seaver College Research And Scholarly Achievement Symposium

Native peoples of Southern California historically used a variety of local plants as remedies for illnesses. Chaparral species such as Rhus ovata (sugar bush) were widely available and were used to ease headaches, coughs and chest pains, and colds. In light of the historical importance of this plant and other chaparral species, recent fungal pathogen-induced diebacks of Malosma laurina, a species closely related to R. ovata, have raised questions regarding the innate defenses of these plants against fungal pathogens. We attempted to scientifically evaluate the traditional medicinal use of R. ovata and its antifungal resistance by testing two …