Antimicrobial Activity of Crude Extract Obtained from the Root of Plumbago zeylanica

It has been reported that the shrubby perennial herb, Plumbago zeylanica (family Plumbaginaceae), possesses antimicrobial activities5. It grows in shady places of wastelands and graveyards all over Bangladesh. Roots and aerial parts principally contain an orange yellow pigment, plumbagin, a naphthoquinone and a fatty alcohol5. Its other constituents in roots are chitranone, zeylanone, dihydrosterone, 2-methyl naphthaquin, plumbazeylanone and terpenoids, lupeol and teraxesterol. The plant also contains alkaloids, glycosides, tannin, saponins and steroids5. The plant has been used both in Ayurvedic and Unani systems for its different activities such as in curing laryngitis, ringworm infection and other skin disease. Paste is applied externally in leprosy5. Other species of Plumbago are also reported by several workers for their biological activities such as antiparasitis8, insect antifeedant9 and antitumoral6. In this study, antimicrobial activity of P. zeylanica was evaluated against some human pathogenic bacteria and plant pathogenic fungi.