Antibacterial activity of leaf extract of Cassia alata separated by soxhlet extraction method

Cassia alata belongs to the family Caesalpiniaceae. Leaf extract of this plant have been reported that it posses medicinal property and used against ringworm, scabies, ulcers and other skin disease such as pruritis, eczema and itching. Many reports are available on the antimicrobial activity of the plant extracts. The aim of the present work was to estimate the antibacterial activity of the of leaf extract of Cassia alata produced by soxhlet extraction method. The solvent selected for this study was hydro-alcohol. The plant extract was tested against pathogenic gram positive and negative bacterial strains viz., Escherichia coli, Proteus vulgaris, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Bacillus subtilis, Staphylococcus aureus and Serratia marcescens by agar disc diffusion method. The concentration was made as 5μl, 10μl and 20μl to check the bacterial growth and the activity was found good with the high concentration. It was also compared with standard antibiotics (Rifamycin, Amoxyclav).This study showed that the plant extract comparatively work better than the standard drug, Amoxyclav in order to control the pathogenic bacteria.