Antibacterial Activity of Root of Aristolochia Indica on Bacillus Subtilis

Indiscriminate uses of commercial antimicrobial drugs are creating lot of side effects and pathogenic microbes are posing multidrug resistance, with this background an era has opened to evaluate antimicrobial activities of traditional medicinal plants. Aristolochia indica an Indian folklore medicinal plant was investigated to evaluate antibacterial activity of aqueous, acetone, butanol, DMF and ether extracts against food poisoning pathogen Bacillus subtilis by disc diffusion method. All crude root extracts exhibited antibacterial activity. Their inhibition efficacies were in turn compared to five different standard antibiotics (Ciprofloxacin, Nitrofurantoin, Ofloxacin, Pefloxacin and Sparfloxacin) and pure solvents antibacterial activity by Post Hoc Scheffe test. Among all root extracts butanol root extract activity was much closer to the standard antibiotics activity. Interestingly, butanol, ether and distilled water extracts were more active than Nitrofurantoin. The root extracts inhibitory activity was double when compared to solvents. The present study supports A. indica has a therapeutic potency and could be the source for new anti-infectious agent