THE ANTIBACTERIAL EFFECT OF CURRY LEAVES (Murraya Koenigii)
Hanan Al Harbi, Dr. Uma M. Irfan* and Dr. Sarah Ali
ABSTRACT
Introduction: Curry Leaf (Murraya koenigii) is a green leafy vegetable native to India. Curry leaves are natural flavoring agents with numerous health benefits. They contain several medicinal properties that include it being anti-diabetic, antioxidant, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, anti-carcinogenic and with hepato-protective properties. The aim of this study was to investigate the antibacterial effects of curry leaves. Methods: The curry leaves samples were obtained from India. The leaves were dried at room temperature and pulverized to make curry leaf powder. This powder was used to prepare the ethanol and methanol extracts to test the antimicrobial activity on gram positive and gram negative bacteria; by the paper disc diffusion method. The inhibition zones around the paper disc was measured and compared with standard measurements using antibiotic samples. Result: The curry leaf extract showed a broad spectrum of very significant antibacterial activity by producing a clear zone of inhibition against, Staphylococcus, E.coli, Streptococcus and Proteus. Both the ethanol and methanol extracts of curry leaves were found to be effective against tested bacterial strains except, Klebsiella pneumonia and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The clear zones of inhibition in bacterial samples produced by curry leaf extracts were comparable with antibiotics such as Gentamycin and Amikacin. Conclusion: Murraya koenigii extracts have demonstrated antibacterial effects particularly on E.coli and Staphylococcus as compared to antibiotics such as Gentamycin and Amikacin. Thus, curry leaves could be effective for prevention of bacterial infections and may be considered as an alternative to antibiotic regimens.
Keywords: Murraya koenigii, Bacteria, Inhibition zone, Antimicrobial effects.
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