Screening for the Antimicrobial Activity of Lippia Nodiflora Leaf Extract Against Selective Bacterial Population

Lippia nodiflora plant is used as traditional medicinal plant as diuretic, maturant, useful in fevers and cold, astringent to bowels, stomachic, used in lack of bowel movements, pain in knee joints and in lithiasis. It was found that the plant possesses steroids, alkaloids, carbohydrates, flavonoids, essential oil, tannins and salts of potassium. A study was undertaken to investigate the Indian medicinal plant Lippia nodiflora against various bacterial pathogens Klebsiella pneumonia, Proteus vulgaris, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Shigella flexneri, Streptococcus pyogenes and Staphylococcus aureus. The acetone, chloroform, ethanol, methanol and petroleum ether extracts of the plant extracts showed different diameters of inhibition zone ranging between 8mm to 16 mm. diameter. Among themselves methanol leaf extract shows highest zone of inhibition against Shigella flexneri. Simultaneously acetone and petroleum ether leaf extract shown to effective against Klebsiella pneumoniae and Staphylococcus aureus.