Antimicrobial activity study of ethanolic extract of Boerhaavia diffusa whole plant

The search for antimicrobial agents has continued to be concentrated on the lower plants, fungi and bacteria. Less research has focused on higher plants although identified plant compounds like emetine, berberine quinine still find specialized uses. Secondary metabolites of higher plants serve as defense agent against microorganisms. Some screenings have yielded good result and few of these have proceeded to give active antimicrobial compounds like polygodial, anethol, himejima, crytolepine, etc. The present work is carried out on the Boerhaavia diffusa whole plant on the basis of the literature obtained from the Ethno medicinal documentation. The common name is Punarnava and it is found wild throughout India mostly in Himalayan valleys. Keeping in view the tremendous ethno medicinal use of Boerhaavia diffusa it was aimed to scientifically validate the antimicrobial property of Boerhaavia diffusa whole plant. Key-Words: Antimicrobial study, Boerhaavia diffusa, Minimum inhibitory concentration, Punarnava Introduction In developing countries, the use of traditional remedies is common practice and a large number of plants are used. In India, the most accessible health care provider is the traditional medical practitioner who has in his possession a quantity of effective herbal remedies. Ethno medicine provides a source of information about these plants, the investigation of which reveals a reservoir of pharmacological substances with antiinflammatory and antianginal properties. India is rich in medicinal plants. The local inhabitants of eastern India mostly depend on plants for their survival and for treatment of diseases; this medical knowledge is stored in stored in the memory of herbal healers. As per the literature, the medicinal plant Boerhaavia diffusa is used to treat different aliments like wound, inflammations and in hypertension. Based on the wound healing and anti-diarrheal activity present study was carried out to evaluate both anti-bacterial and antifungal activity of aforementioned plant. Since ethanol is the solvent, which brings out most of the compounds present in any plant material, the present investigation was carried out using ethanol extract of the root of the plant. * Corresponding Author E.mail: [email protected] Mob.: +91-7278349147 Boerhaavia diffusa (Nyctaginaceae family) is an herbaceous perennial plant, native of India and Brazil, where it was used for centuries as a medicinal plant by indigenous populations. The root of B. diffusa contains alkaloids (punarnavine), rotenoids (boeravinones A-F), flavonoids, amino acids, lignans (liriodendrons), ß-sitosterols and tetracosanoic, esacosanoic, stearic and ursolic acids. The root of B. diffusa is used for the treatment of many diseases, such as liver disorders (jaundice, hepatitis, etc.), gastrointestinal disorders (as laxative), renal disorders (for calculations, cystitis and nephritis), and for the treatment of anaemia and of menstrual syndrome the drug has recently been used as an adjuvant in an anticancer therapy. Despite the wide therapeutically use of B. diffusa, there are still no scientific data in the literature which clearly (i) demonstrate the existence of an antimicrobial activity and (ii) explain the mechanism of its action. Since B. diffusa is largely used in Ayurveda medicine and the scientific data that explain such use are deficient, the purpose of our study was: (i) to evaluate the antimicrobial activity of the ethanolic extract of the whole part of Boerhaavia