Abstract

ANTIMICROBIAL ACTIVITY OF JUSTICIA ADHATODA

Alka Sharma and Ashwani Kumar*

Abstract

The presence of antimicrobial substances in higher plants is well established. Antimicrobial potential of leaf extract of Justicia adhatoda Nees. (Family Acanthaceae) alone has significant contribution. The effectiveness of a particular antimicrobial agent results in the production of growth inhibition zone appearing as clear area around the source agent. And this can be considered as a relative potential of its efficiency. During the present investigation, the antimicrobial activity of methanol and leaf extracts of Justicia adhatoda was tested on Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus subtilis, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Proteus vulgaris, Aspergillus niger, Aspergillus flavus, Fusarium oxysporum and Penicillium digitatum by the disc diffusion method (Atlas et al., 1995). Antibiotic was used as positive control.

Keywords: Acanthaceae, Inhibition zone, Justicia adhatoda, Staphylococcusaureus, Proteus vulgaris.