Antifungal Effect of Jungrowhan(R)and Vinegar to Fungi Causing Skin Infection

Yoon, Young Mook; Kim, Sang Won; Kim, Dong Seok

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Even though recent improvement of antifungal agent is remarkable, side effect makes patient hesitate to use them. Instead, mixture of Jungrowhan(R)and vinegar is traditionally used and it makes contact dermatitis and secondary bacterial infection.
OBJECTIVE
We tested antifungal activity of vinegar and Jungrowhan(R)to know their its efficacy. METHOD: Candida albicans(CA), Trichophyton rubrum(TR), Trichophyton mentagrophytes(TM) were cultivated in Sabouraud dextrose agar admixed with various amounts of Jungrowhan(R)and vinegar. We used the standard checkerboard titration for detecting synergy or antagonism of these two materials. Using the individual ingredients of Jungrowhan(R) sensitivity tests were done.
RESULTS
Minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) of Jungrowhan(R) were 6~8mg/ml in CA, 2mg/ml in ra and 2~4mg/ml in TM. MICs of vinegar were 0.05~0.2m1/m1 in CA, 0.02~0.03m1/m1 in TR and 0.01~0.02m1/m1 in TM. The checkerboard titration of two materials revealed no synergism. MIC of creosote, one of ingredients of Jungrowhan(R), was the same of Jungrowhan(R), and the others revealed no antifungal effect.
CONCLUSIONS
Even though Jungrowhan(R) and vinegar showed antifungal activity, using mixture of two material revealed no synergism. Their antifungal activity does not come from its herbal ingredients but just from creosote which is a kind of phenol mixture used for antiseptics, and acid of vinegar.