Antibacterial Activity Of Certain Medicinal Plants Against Acne-Inducing Bacteria

Abstract

The present investigation was conducted to evaluate the antibacterial efficacy of five medicinal plants against Propionibacterium acnes. The various solvent extracts of herbs namely Azadirachta indica, Vitex negundo, Annona squamosa, Cymbopogon citratus and Terminalia chebula were prepared by decoction method. The antiacne potential of various solvent extracts of herbs were tested along with the standard Clindamycin in a dose dependant manner by disc diffusion method. The results of the study found that aqueous and ethanolic extracts of Terminalia chebula exhibited the outstanding antiacne activity when compared to all other herbal extracts. Moderate zone of inhibition was observed in the medicinal plants namely Azadirachta indica, Vitex negundo and Annona squamosa. Inhibition zone was not detectable in any of the solvent extracts of Cymbopogon citratus. The findings of this study have identified that Terminalia chebula acts as the promising source of antiacne agent which could be useful in the treatment of acne vulgaris.