Abstract

Ammara Hassan, Salma Rahman, Farah Deeba and Shahid Mahmud

The antimicrobial activity of hot water and ethanolic extracts of six plant extracts, utilized in Pakistan for the cure of liver damage, were studied. The extracts of Acacia arabica, Nymphaea lotus, Sphareranthus hirtus, Emblica officinalis, Cinchorium intybus and Cardus marianum were tested in vitro against seven bacterial species and two fungal species by well-diffusion method and micro-dilution methods. The patterns of inhibition varied with the plant extracts, the solvent used for extraction and the organisms tested. Escherichia coli, Salmonella typhi, Pseudomonas aeroginosa were the most inhibited microorganisms. The extract of Sphareranthu hirtus was the most active against multi-drug resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa and enterohemorrhagic E. coli 0157 EHEC. The ethanolic extract of S. hirtus exhibited a higher effect than the hot water extract. These plants extracts were analyzed for elemental composition.