Antibacterial and Phytochemical Screening of Ethanol Extract of Hemidesmus indicus roots

Hemidesmus indicus belongs to the family Asclepiadaceae, and is one of the rare medicinal and aromatic plants of India. The Hemidesmus indicus recommended for the treatment of various diseases namely skin disease, liver impairment, leprosy, dysentery, bronchitis etc by tribal people. The present study was aimed to investigate the phytochemical and antibacterial activity of ethanol extracts of Hemidesmus indicus root. The ethanol extract of Hemidesmus indicus root was prepared and phytochemical screening was performed. The findings indicate the presence of alkaloids, glycosides, carbohydrates, steroids, polyphenol, saponins and terpenoids in extract. The antibacterial activity of various concentrations (25%, 50%, 75% and 100%) of ethanol extract was tested by disk diffusion method against E. coli, S. aureus, S. epidermis, B. subtilis, P. aeruginosa and S. flexneri. Zones of Inhibition produced by extract at various concentrations against selected strains were measured. The highest zones of growth inhibition were observed against B. subtilis compared to other microorganism. It produced a mean zone diameter of 23.5 mm at a dose of 100% on B. subtilis and lowest zone of growth inhibition was observed on S. epidermis, which gave a zone of inhibition measuring 9.8 mm.