The in-vitro Bacteriostatic Potential of Some Traditionally used Indian Spices.

The in-vitro antibacterial activity of aqueous and methanolic extract of some Indian spices, Cinnamom cassia, Myristica fragrans, Murraya koenigii, Piper nigrum and Trachyspermum ammi against Bacillus Subtilis, Bacillus Cereus, Escherichia Coli, Psuedomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus was evaluated by using agar diffusion assay and their antibacterial effect was compared with some standard antibiotics. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of the extracts showing higher efficacy against the test organism was determined. By and large, all the extract possessed antimicrobial property but comparatively the methanolic extracts are more potent than aqueous extract of spices. MICs for aqueous and methanolic extracts ranged from 20–80 mg/ml and 5–20 mg/ml respectively. The obtained results shows that spices have a natural bacteriostatic potential to be used as antimicrobial agent.