**4.8** *Allium cepa*

 *A. cepa* commonly called onions is from the family Liliaceae. Onions have several pharmacological activity such as antidiabetic, antioxidant, anticancer, cardiovascular, antimicrobial and others [63]. The minimum inhibitory concentration by which the ethanolic and aqueous extracts of the tissue of *A. cepa* inhibited the growth of *M. tuberculosis* H37Ra was recorded to be 0.1 mg/mL for both extracts [61]. Another *in vitro* study showed a 79% proportion of inhibition of aqueous extract of the bulb of *A. cepa* against MDR isolate JAL-1236 [62].

#### **4.9** *Cinnamomum verum*

*C. verum,* (formerly *C. zeylanicum*) of the family Lauraceae, commonly known as cinnamon tree is an evergreen small tropical plant native to Sri Lanka, it is also cultivated in Madagascar and Seychelles on commercial scale [33]. Its anti-tuberculosis activity reported by Sivakumar and Jayaraman, [61] revealed that, the aqueous and ethanolic extracts of the bark of *C. verum* exhibited anti-mycobacterial activity (MIC 0.1 and 0.2 mg/mL, respectively) against *M. tuberculosis* H37Ra.

#### **4.10** *Acalypha indica*

*A. indica* popularly known as Indian nettle is from the family Euphorbiaceae. In Africa, it is distributed in Nigeria, from eastern part of Sudan to Somalia and south through DR Congo and East Africa to Southern Africa. It also occurs in South-East Asia, India, Oceania and widely in the Indian Ocean islands. Traditionally, it is used as an antifungal and antibacterial agent for both human and plant pathogens. It is also used as an expectorant to treat pneumonia and asthma [33]. The *in-vitro* study of the aqueous leave extract of *A. indica* against MDR isolate DKU-156, JAL-1236 and sensitive *M. tuberculosis* H37Rv, demonstrated 95, 68 and 68% inhibition, respectively [62].

#### **5. Medicinal plants with demonstrated activity against pneumonia**

 Pneumonia is a respiratory tract infection characterized by the inflammation of one or both lungs as a results of the accumulation of pus in the alveoli. Pneumonia which can be caused by bacteria, viruses or fungi can be mild, severe or life threatening. Bacterial pneumonia can be caused by *Streptococcus pneumoniae* which is the commonest cause, *Staphylococcus aureus*, *Moraxella catarrhalis*, *Klebsiella pneumoniae*, *Haemophilus influenza*, *Chlamydophila pneumonia* and *Legionella pneumophila*. *Pneumocystis jirovecii pneumonia* (PCP) is a fungal pneumonia commonly found in immunocompromised patients. Viral pneumonia can also be caused by adenovirus, Varicella zoster, Influenza virus and respiratory syncytial virus [64, 65]. Traditionally, medicinal plants have been employed for treating pneumonia and hence the need to prove, scientifically, their folkloric uses. Researchers have investigated such plant, and below is a review on some of the reported plants with demonstrated activity.

#### **5.1** *Echinops adenocaulos*

 In Ethiopian herbal medicine, members of the genus *Echinops* from family Asteraceae are used for the treatment of diarrhea, intestinal worm infestation, hemorrhoids, migraine and different forms of infections [66]. Zamzam water extract of *E. adenocaulos* demonstrated an antibacterial activity against multidrug resistance *S. pneumoniae* with a minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of 0.781 mg/mL [67].

#### **5.2** *Verbascum fruticulosum*

 Various species of *Verbascum*, of the family Scrophulariaceae, have been used to treat pulmonary diseases in traditional medicine as a results of its antibacterial activity against *Klebsiella pneumonia* and *Staphylococcus aureus* [68]. The *in vitro* antimicrobial activity of aqueous extract of *V. fruticulosum* against multidrug resistant clinical isolate of *S. pneumoniae* showed a high antibacterial activity with MIC value of 0.195 mg/mL [67].
