Antimicrobial activity of some ethno-medicinal plants used in Pakistan

Medicinal plants have been used for their antimicrobial activity to discover newantimicrobial agents. Antimicrobial activity of aqueous and methanolic extracts of fourethnomedicinal plants such as Acacia modesta, Thymus serphylum, Syzygium cumuni L andOlea ferruginea were evaluated against five bacterial strains such as S. aureus, E. coli, P.aeruginosa, S. epidermidis and B. subtilis by disc diffusion method. The results showed thatAcacia modesta showed maximum activity against E. coli with zone of inhibition (16.2 mm).Thymus serphylum showed maximum activity against B. subtilis with zone of inhibition(13.3 mm) but no activity against P. aeruginosa and E. coli. Syzygium cumuni L showedmaximum activity against S.epidermidis with zone of inhibition (14.5 mm) but no activityagainst E. coli, P. aeruginosa and B. subtilis. Similarly Olea ferruginea displayed maximumactivity against S. epidermidis with zone of inhibition (16.8 mm). Antimicrobial activity ofplants was concentration dependent. Methanolic extracts of plants showed better activitythan aqueous extracts.