Antibacterial and antifungal compounds from Empetrum nigrum.

Empetrum nigrum L. (Empetraceae) is a species of ethnopharmacological significance to native North Americans. The Haida people of coastal British Columbia used a decoction of the branches of this shrub to treat tuberculosis and other ailments (Turner, personal communication). This research was supported by the Canadian Bacterial Diseases Network, Inflazyme Pharmaceuticals Ltd., Vancouver, B. C., and the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada. We thank Allison McCutcheon for the collection and identification of plant material.