Abstract

Lallemantia royleana (Benth.) is an important folk medicine in Pakistan. This natural herb is used as folk remedy for number of ailments. This study was conducted to assess the antibacterial activity of four different organic extracts of L. royleana seeds against four bacterial strains (Escherichia coli, Enterobacter cloaceae, Pseudomonas aeruginosa andStaphylococcus aureus) for the first time by disc diffusion method. Except aqueous extracts, all organic extracts of L. royleana seeds displayed significant anti-bacterial activity against all the tested bacteria. The chloroform extract exhibited highest anti-bacterial activity for all bacterial strains. Results shows that L. royleana seeds possess significant antibacterial potential against S. aureus, E. coli and E. cloaceae, therefore, it can be a good remedy for skin disease and gastro-intestinal problems caused by human pathogenic bacterial strains. Further screening for phytochemicals should be carried out in search of novel therapeutic compounds.

Key words: Antibacterial activity, zone of inhibition, phytochemical, aqueous extracts, antibiotic.