Inhibition of HIV-1 Reverse Transcriptase by Methanol Extracts of Commercial Herbs and Spices

Abstract

Fifty four samples of methanol-extract prepared from commercial herbs and spices were assayed their HIV-1 reverse transcriptase-inhibitory activity. Rosemary, cinnamon, sage, and cao guo showed strong inhibition with IC₅₀ values of 4.2, 4.3, 6.0 and 6.5μg/ml, respectively. So far examined with TLC, the methanol extracts did not contain detectable amount of tannins and flavonoids.