PJB-2017-686
PHYTOCHEMICAL SCREENING, ANTIBACTERIAL ACTIVITY AND HEAVY METAL ANALYSIS OF ETHNOMEDICINAL RECIPES USED AGAINST INFECTIOUS DISEASES
Dr. Ruqia Nazir
Abstract
Abstract Plants are rich in a wide variety of secondary metabolites, which have been found to have medicinal properties. The present study was performed to evaluate the phytochemical screening, antibacterial activities and heavy metal analysis of seven remedial plants i.e. Nigella sativa (seeds), Trigonella foenum-graecum (seeds), Brassica campestris (seeds), Pistacia integerrima (galls), Linum usitatissimum (seeds), Hyssopus officinalis (flowers), Ephedra vulgaris (dry branches) and its two significant recipes (called Recipe 1 & 2) used by Hakeems against infectious diseases particularly -respiratory tract infections. The results revealed that alkaloids (30 %) and flavonoids (41 %) were in maximum quantity in P. integerrima (galls) and saponins (10.9 %) were in maximum quantity in Recipe 1. Antibacterial activity was determined by the agar well diffusion method using methanol, ethanol, chloroform and aqua as the crude extraction solvents. Each plant sample was tested against one Gram-positive (Streptococcus pneumonia) and two Gram-negative (Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Klebsilla pneumonia) bacteria. Maximum zones of inhibition in methanolic, ethanolic, chloroform and aqueous extract were seen in T. foenum-graecum against S. pneumonia (20.06 ± 0.16 mm), B. campestris against S. pneumonia (22.40 ± 0.24 mm), Recipe 2 against K. pneumonia (20.06 ± 0.16 mm) and N. sativa against S. pneumonia (20.23 ± 0.16 mm) respectively. The metal analysis of plants carried out by atomic absorption spectrophotometer showed high concentration of of Iron (Fe), Plumbum (Pb) and Chromium (Cr). It has been found that medicinal plants individually as well as their recipes are potentially active due to the presence of different phytochemicals used against various infectious diseases particularly respiratory tract infections
To Cite this article:
Download
