Author : Sachin, Sarla Rani and Mahesh Kumar

Medicinal plants are found to deliver a promising health benefits probably due to the secondary metabolites which are responsible for various activities of such plants. Antimicrobial activities of some important Indian medicinal plants are analyzed in present study using methanol, ethanol and acetone extracts of each plant. Methanol extract along with ethanol extract were found equally potent against human pathogenic bacteria by using agar well diffusion method and measuring the inhibition zone of activity ranging from 5mm – 20 mm diameter. Emblica officinalis showed maximum zone of inhibition (29 mm) against Pseudomonas aeruginosa, methanol extracts of Tabernaemontana undulata and Phyllanthous amarus have highest antimicrobial activity on B. subtilis (22 mm) and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (27 mm). ethanol extracts of Emblica officinalis on four different human pathogenic organisms using agar well diffusion method have showed maximum zone of inhibition (31 mm) against Pseudomonas aeruginosa.

Keywords: Medicinal plants, antimicrobial activity, agar well diffusion.