Preliminary screening of ethnomedicinal plants from India

Antibacterial activity of aqueous residues of 16 different ethnomedicinal p lants have been studied. The effect of the aqueous extract at two different weights of plant residues, 30 and 40 mg, were tested against three gram po sitive bacteria and seven gram negative bacteria by the filter paper disc d iffusion method.-Among the tested plants, Cleome gynandropsis and Ageratum conyzoides showed a significant control of the growth of Alkaligens viscola ctis, Klebsiella aerogenas, Bacillus cerues and Streptococcus pyogens. The maximum inhibitions were observed in Tridax procumbens, Cleome viscosa, Aca lypha indica and Boerhaavia erecta against Aeromonas hydrophilla and Bacill us cerues. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.