ABSTRACT
Microbial infections are one of the major issues in every country. Thousands of people are suffering from serious diseases like malaria, tuberculosis, diarrhea, typhoid, etc. Mostly antibiotics of microbial origin are used for the treatment of these diseases. However, some of these antimicrobial compounds depending on the individual patient, type and dose of antibiotic used have been reported to show harmful side effects such as fever, diarrhea, vomiting and allergic reactions (photodermatitis and anaphylaxis). Excessive use can also develop antibiotic resistance condition. Frequency of antibiotic-resistant bacteria strains is increasing day-by-day. To control the prevailing antibiotic resistance problems search for new antimicrobial substances with minimum side effects is needed. Plant and its products have been potentially used as medicine to treat infections for centuries. There are confirmations of herbs being utilized as a part of various disease treatments in Indian, Egypt, China, Greek, and Roman civic establishments. Medicinal plants are being used to treat diseases because of their antimicrobial properties. These phytochemicals are not only low price product than microbial antibiotics but also can serve to combat antibiotic resistance. The plant parts like root, leaf, stem and even a whole plant have been used for extraction of antimicrobial agents both in solid as well as in liquid form. Plants produce more than a thousand chemical compounds, each having different biological activity. These compound are active against pathogenic microorganisms exhibiting pharmacological property. The pharmacological activities of these medicinal 240plants are usually associated with its secondary metabolites. Some plants have shown the activity against many bacteria and fungi, for example, aloe vera, lemon, neem, garlic, tulsi, cranberry, and bearberry. It has been reported that plant extracts of Punica granatum, Syzygium cordatum, Ozoroa insignis, Gymnosporia senegalensis, Indigofera daleoides, Elephantorrhiza elephantina, Elephantorrhiza burkei, Schotia brachypetala, Ximenia caffra, and Spirostachys africana disclosed extraordinary antibacterial action against Vibro cholera, Staphylococcus aureus, E. coli, Shigella species, and Salmonella typhi. The antimicrobial activities of many plants have been studied still there is a room for possibilities with new species.
