Evaluation of antimicrobial activity of selected indigenous medicinal plants

Abstract

Herbal medicine refers to the use of any plant's seeds, berries, roots, leaves, bark, or flowers for medicinal purposes. Along with other dosage forms, herbal drugs are also formulated in the form of ointment. An ointment is a viscous semisolid preparation used topically on a variety of body surfaces. The objective of the study was to evaluate the Pharmacognostical, Phytochemical and evaluation of the antimicrobial herbal ointment from the different extracts of dried leaves of selected medicinal plants like Aerva Lanata, Bauhinia variegata, Acmella uliginosa. The anti-Microbial properties of extracts were evaluated by Agar well diffusion method using gram positive bacteria like Staphylococus aureus, Bacillus subtilius, gram negative bacteria like Escherichia coli, Klebseilia pneumonia. Amongst the test extracts, the results suggested that, Methonolic extracts showed significant anti-Microbial activity compared with standard drug. Plants show high efficiency of antimicrobial activity due to the presence of various phytochemicals, antimicrobial tests of the combinations were carried out. The most effective combination was then determined by comparing the results of the zone of inhibition. Then the minimum inhibitory concentration of the effective combination was found out.