Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Antibacterial activity of some Indian medicinal plants

  • Note
  • Published:
Journal of Natural Medicines Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Aqueous extracts of ten medicinal plants were examined for their antibacterial potential against some reference strains of human pathogenic bacteria. Anethum graveolens, Elettaria cardamomum, Foeniculum vulgare, Trachyspermum ammi and Viola odorata were found to be better/equally effective compared to standard antibiotics. V. odorata was the most effective antibacterial with minimum inhibitory concentration values ranging from 1 to 2%. The results provide a scientific basis for the centuries-old usage of aqueous extracts of these medicinal plants.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Hart CA, Karriuri S (1998) Antimicrobial resistance in developing countries. BMJ 317:421–452

    Google Scholar 

  2. Chopra I, Hodgson J, Metcalf B, Poste G (1997) The search for antibacterial agents effective against bacteria resistant to multiple antibiotics. Antimicrob Agents Chemother 41:497–503

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  3. Grover JK, Yadav S, Vats V (2002) Medicinal plants of India with anti-diabetic potential. J Ethnopharmacol 81:81–100

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  4. Gajera HP, Patel SV, Golakiya BA (2005) Antioxidant properties of some therapeutically active medicinal plants—an overview. JMAPS 27:91–100

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  5. Arora DS (1998) Antimicrobial activity of tea (Camellia sinensis). Antibiot Chemother 2:4–5

    Google Scholar 

  6. Cowan MM (1999) Plant products as antimicrobial agents. Clin Microbiol Rev 12:564–582

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  7. Ahmad I, Beg AJ (2001) Antimicrobial and phytochemical studies on 45 Indian medicinal plants against multi-drug resistant human pathogens. J Ethnopharmacol 74:113–123

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  8. Polambo EA, Semple SJ (2001) Antibacterial activity of traditional Australian medicinal plants. J Ethnopharmacol 77:151–157

    Article  Google Scholar 

  9. Koochek MH, Pipelzadeh MH, Mardani H (2002) The effectiveness of Viola odorata in the prevention and treatment of formalin-induced lung damage in the rat. J Herbs Spices Med Plants 10:95–103

    Article  Google Scholar 

  10. Aslam M (2002) Aspects of Asian medicine and its practice in the West. In: Evans WC (ed) Trease and Evans pharmacognosy, 15th edn. Elsevier, London, pp 467–491

  11. Cai L, Wu CD (1996) Compounds from Syzygim aromaticum possessing growth inhibitory activity against oral pathogens. J Nat Prod 59:987–990

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  12. Kubo I, Himejima M, Muroi H (1991) Antimicrobial activity of flavour components of cardamom—Elettaria cardamomum (Zingiberaceae) seed. J Agric Food Chem 39:1984–1986

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  13. Ruberto G, Baratta MT, Deans SG, Dorman HJD (2000) Antioxidant and antimicrobial activity of Foeniculum vulgare and Crithmum maritimum essential oils. Planta Med 19:2943–2950

    Google Scholar 

  14. Singh G, Maurya S, De Lampasona MP, Catalan C (2005) Chemical constituents, antimicrobial investigations and antioxidant potentials of Anethum graveolens L. essential oil and acetone extract: Part 52. J Food Sci 70:M208–M215

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  15. Bauer AW, Kirby WMM, Sherris JC, Turck M (1966) Antibiotic susceptibility testing by a standardized single disk method. Am J Clin Pathol 45:493–496

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  16. Toda M, Okubo S, Hiyoshi R, Shimamura T (1989) The bactericidal activity of tea and coffee. Lett Appl Microbiol 8:123–125

    Google Scholar 

  17. Mahajan V (1992) Comparative evaluation of sensitivity of human pathogenic bacteria to tea, coffee and antibiotics. PhD thesis, MD University, Rohtak, India

  18. Ahmad I, Mehmood J, Mohammad F (1998) Screening of some Indian medicinal plants for their antimicrobial properties. J Ethnopharmacol 62:83–193

    Article  Google Scholar 

  19. Arora DS, Kaur J (1999) Antimicrobial activity of spices. Int J Antimicrob Agents 12:257–262

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  20. Livermore DM (2002) Multiple mechanisms of antimicrobial resistane in Pseudomonas aeruginosa: our worst nightmare? Clin Infect Dis 34:634–640

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  21. Kim HB, Jang HC, Nam HJ, Lee YS, Kim BS, Park WB, Lee KD, Choi YJ, Park SW, Oh MD, Kim EC, Choe KW (2004) In vitro activities of 28 antimicrobial agents against Staphylococcus aureus isolates from tertiary-care hospitals in Korea: a nationwide survey. Antimicrob Agent Chemother 48:1124–1127

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Microbial Technology Laboratory, Department of Microbiology, Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar, 143005, Punjab, India

    Daljit Singh Arora & Gurinder Jeet Kaur

Authors
  1. Daljit Singh Arora
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Gurinder Jeet Kaur
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Daljit Singh Arora.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Arora, D.S., Kaur, G.J. Antibacterial activity of some Indian medicinal plants. J Nat Med 61, 313–317 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11418-007-0137-8

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11418-007-0137-8

Keywords

Search

Navigation