Evaluation of In vitro Antimicrobial Activity of Extract of Nigella sativa, Moon flower and Yellow thistle

Abstract

The increasing resistance of microbial pathogens to conventional antibiotics necessitates the exploration of alternative antimicrobial agents. This study evaluates the antimicrobial potential of a polyherbal methanol extract (PHME) formulated from Nigella sativa, Datura stramonium, and Argemone mexicana. The antimicrobial activity was assessed using the agar well diffusion method against gram-positive (Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus subtilis) and gram-negative (Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa) bacterial strains. Minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) was determined using the broth dilution method. The results demonstrated a significant antimicrobial effect of PHME, showing a synergistic enhancement over individual plant extracts. PHME exhibited the highest inhibition zones and lowest MIC values among test samples, supporting its potential as a natural antimicrobial formulation.