Comparative Studies of Anti-microbial Activity of Turmeric and Selected Medicinal Plant Leaf Extracts Used in Indian Traditional Medicine

The present study aimed at evaluating and comparing the in vitro antimicrobial activity of 10 medicinal plants used in traditional and homemade medicines: Curcuma longa, Azadiracta indica, Ocimum sanctum, Adathoda vasica, Polygala grineris, Cynodon dactylon, Solanum nigrum, Cardiospermum halicacabum, Phylanthus niruri, and Acalypa indica. Gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria Serratia marcesens, Escherichia coli, Bacillus subtilis, Klebshiella pneumoniae, Streptococcus pyrogens, and Staphylococcus aureus and two pathogenic fungi—Candida albicans and Aspergillus niger—were tested on the leaf extracts. The methanolic extracts were tested at two concentrations for microbial susceptibility. Assays were done using agar well diffusion method and minimal inhibitory concentration for samples showing growth inhibition. All extracts inhibited the growth of S. pyrogens. Among the plant extracts tested, P. niruri showed the greatest inhibitory action.