Regarding to side effects of chemical and synthetic drugs, attention to using herbal products instead of chemical drugs is increased from late years of 20th century. Ruta graveolens is one of the oldest known medical plant which is used in traditional medicine in ancient countries. It is used for different medical purposes and showed a variety of therapeutic effects. Aim of this study is investigating antimicrobial effects of hydro and hydroalcoholic extracts of Ruta graveolens on 10 pathogenic bacteria. Standard strains of Enterococcus faecalis, Staphilococcus aureus, Staphilococcus epidermidis, Strptococcus pneumonia,Streptococcus pyogenesis, Escherichia Coli, Klebsiella pneumonia, Salmonella typhi, seratia marcescens, and psedomonas aerogenesis, are used in this study. Effect of hydro and hydroalcholic extracts of this plant on growth of mentioned bacteria is determined by using disc diffusion method and also by serial macrodilution for measuring MIC in comparison to effects of 11 common antibiotics on the same bacteria. In this study, Hydro and hydroalcoholic extracts of Ruta graveolens did not show inhibitory effect on growth of studied bacteria up to concentration 5mg/ml. It seems that lacking antibacterial effect of the herb extracts on the studied bacteria is due to resistant character of the bacteria and lacking of antibacterial continents in the extracts of the plant.
