Trinpanchmool drugs consisting of Kush (Desmostachya bipinnata), Darbh (Imperata cylindrica), Kas (Saccharum spontaneum), Sar (Saccharum munja) and Ikshu (Saccharum officinarum) are used in Ayurveda for treatment of a number of diseases and some of the drugs are traditionally used against microbial infections. The present study deals with the evaluation of antibacterial and antifungal activities of the hydroalcoholic extract of the drugs both individually and in combination. The antimicrobial activity (minimum inhibitory concentration and zone of inhibition) of Trinpanchmool drugs was evaluated against different micro-organisms including Gram positive bacteria, Gram negative bacteria and fungi by agar-well diffusion assay. The drugs of Trinpanchmool showed promising antimicrobial activity against different microorganisms. Gram positive and Gram negative bacterias were more sensitive than the fungal strains. The drugs in combination are more active than the individual extracts against maximum micro-organisms tested. Kush was inactive against S. aureus and E. coli, and Ikshu against S. aureus upto 2 mg/ml concentration of the extracts. Trinpanchmool drugs exhibited amtimicrobial activity against Gram Positive bacteria, Gram Negative bacteria and fungal strains which is in support of the ethnomedical uses of the drug.
