Antisalmonella Activity of Selected Medicinal Plants

Antisalmonella activity of some important plants in the Ayurvedic system of traditional medicine used in India to treat enteric diseases was screened. The aqueous and methanol extracts of 47 medicinal plants were studied for their antibacterial activity against pathogenic Salmonella typhi, Salmonella paratyphi A, and Salmonella typhimurium. The in vitro antibacterial activity was performed by agar well diffusion method and the results are expressed as the average diameter of zone of inhibition of bacterial growth around the well. Of the herbal extracts tested, 33 plant extracts were found to have antibacterial activity against at least one of the salmonella strains tested with inhibition zones ranging from 9 to 27 mm. Both extracts of Nyctanthes arbortristis, Garcinia indica, Rubia cordifolia, Azadiracta indica, and Momordica charantia exhibited strong anti-salmonella activity. The aqueous extracts were found to be more active than methanol extracts in the present study.