Phytochemical Screening and Antibacterial Activity of Viscum album (Mistletoe) Extracts

Viscum album is a green parasitic plant belonging to the family of Loranthaceae. It grows as a partial parasite on the branches of many decidous lemon trees especially apple and has various ethnomedical uses. Phytochemical screening has shown the presence of Alkaloids, Carbohydrates, Tannins and Flavonoids. Phytosterols are scanty. Thin-layer chromatography of the ethanolic extract (Petroleum spirit and Diethyl ether, 2:1) showed four spots, while the aqueous extract (Petroleum spirit and Diethyl ether, 2:1) showed the presence of three spots. The ethanolic and aqueous crude extracts inhibited the growth of Klebsiella aerogenes, Proteus sp., Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Gentamycin and Cloxacillin did not exhibit any activity against Pseudomonas aeruginosa.