Recent Advances in the Use of Mosses in Traditional and Western Medicine
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Faiqa Ali
College:
The Dorothy and George Hennings College of Science, Mathematics, and Technology
Major:
Biology
Faculty Research Advisor(s):
Sasmita Mishra
Abstract:
Bryophytes including mosses, contain many amazing and unique properties with high biological
activities. We collected different moss species from the Kean University main campus and
identified them. In this study, three moss species were selected at random from the collection to
evaluate their phytotherapeutic properties. The antibacterial properties of our collected moss
species were tested against Escherichia coli using the disc diffusion method. The aerial parts of
the mosses were processed using 80% methanol. Three different moss species identified
were Eucladium verticillatum, Atrichum undulatum, and Plagiomnium cuspidatum. Although
several phytotherapeutic properties of mosses have been reported in the literature, preliminary
results revealed minimal inhibition of bacterial growth. Some of the properties included
antimicrobial, antifungal, antipyretic, antidotal, antipyretic, and even anti-cancer. The study has
shown that mosses may be an available source of active biological compounds such as terpenoids
(the largest group of secondary metabolites in bryophytes) and aromatic compounds (such as
flavonoids, phenylpropanoids, benzenoids, and bibenzyl derivatives) and may be used to cure
various medical issues.