A Comparative Analysis of Antibacterial Activity of Withania somnifera Root Extract with Commercial Antibiotics

Antibiotics play a major role in clinical medicine in eradicating pathogens. Unfortunately, excessive/inappropriate use of antibiotics has contributed to the spread of important clinical and public health problems of antibiotics resistance. The present study aimed to examine a comparative analysis of the antibacterial efficacy of ethanol and methanol root extracts of W. somnifera with commercial antibiotics against the bacterial strains. The ethanol and methanol root extracts of W. somnifera found to show equalent/potent antibacterial activity against the bacterial strains as compared to antibiotic discs. Methanol root extract of W. somnifera showed an effective antibacterial activity might be due to presence of numerous bioactive compounds. Thus, there is a tremendous need for future research to provide better evidence, to address the isolation and characterization of these bioactive components of methanol root extract of W. somnifera responsible for the antibacterial activity, offer an ecologically and economically safe drug compared to commercial antibiotics.