In vitro evaluation of trypanocidal activity in plants used in Argentine traditional medicine

Thirty-two organic and aqueous extracts, belonging to 12 Argentine medicinal plants were tested for their in vitro trypanocidal activity on epimastigote forms of Trypanosoma cruzi. Among the selected species, the organic extracts of Ambrosia scabra, Ambrosia tenuifolia, Baccharis spicata, Eupatorium buniifolium, Lippia integrifolia, Mulinum spinosum and Satureja parvifolia, and the aqueous extracts of E. buniifolium, L. integrifolia, M. spinosum and S. parvifolia showed trypanocidal activity with a percentage of growth inhibition higher than 70% at a concentration of 100 microg/ml.