Vol. 6, Issue 5 (2017)

Author(s):
Geetha I and Catherine P Alexander S

Abstract:
The use of plant extracts for antimicrobial activity and other diseases have been observed to be promising remedies since ancient time in Chinese medicine, Ayurveda, Arabic, and Unani medicine. The plants have traditionally furnish a source of hope for novel drug compounds, as plant herbal mixtures have made large endowment to human health and well being. The use of plant extracts with known antimicrobial properties can be of appreciable significance for therapeutic treatment. Presently, the research has been initiated to study the antibacterial activity of chloroform, and methanol extracts of Andrographis paniculata to emphasize the potential of herbal components in the field of medical science to kill various dreadful pathogens. The agar well diffusion method was followed to evaluate the antibacterial activity of chloroform and methanol extracts of A. paniculata against Escherichia coli, Aeromonas hydrophila, Proteus vulgaris, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus pyogenes, Bacillus subtilis, Klebsiella pneumonia and Salmonella typhi. The result revealed that all the doses of chloroform and methanol extracts of A. paniculata potentially inhibited (10 - 16mm in diameter) the growth of all the pathogens tested except Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Hence, the present investigation evaluates the potential anti bacterial activity of chloroform and methanol extracts of A. paniculata