Herbs have always been the principal source of medicine in India. Medicinal plants have curatives properties due to the presence of various complex chemical substances of different composition, which are found as secondary plant metabolites in one or more of its parts. This study was designed to investigate the antibacterial activities of plants namely Ficusgeniculata (Putkal), Cassia tora (Chakor), Madhucaindica (Mahua), Pongamiapinnata (Karanj), Boerhaaviadiffusa (Punarnava), Ficusreligiosa (Peepal) and Moringaoleifera (Senjana).The plant extracts were prepared in two solvents viz. water and methanol. These extracts were tested for its antimicrobial potential against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus. Methods used to evaluate antimicrobial potential were agar well diffusion assay. Various concentrations of the extracts ranges up to 50mg/ml, 25mg/ml and 12.5mg/ml were prepared. The aqueous extract of Ficusreligiosa at the concentration of 50mg/ml showed the highest inhibition zone as 1.3cm against E. coli. Preliminary results of antibacterial activity supported the traditional use of Ficus in folk medicine. These findings suggest a new pathway in elucidating a potential antibacterial agent from Ficusreligiosa.
