Phytochemical Screening and Antibacterial Activity of Eleusine indica (Paragis) Flower and Leaf Extract

Abstract

INTRODUCTION

Many diseases are mainly caused by food borne bacteria that have a large impact on human health. Synthetic medicines were used for treatment but do not guarantee cure and cannot be afforded by the underprivileged. These issues with regards to synthetic antibiotics and the pass face evolution of bacteria to resist antibiotics lead to a remarkable breakthroughs and trends with the use of herbal plants in the different countries around the world. Eleusine indica (goose grass or paragis plant) is an invasive plant species in some parts of the world. In the Philippines, the E. indica plant is not yet included in the approved list of herbal medicines even if it is widely used as folk or herbal medicine. These reports confer its medicinal properties however; there are still not enough data to back up theseclaims.

METHODS

Fresh samples of E. indica plant was collected near the vicinity of Manuel I. Santos Memorial National High School. The E. indica flowers and leaves were pounded to obtain the pure extract. The extracts subjected to phytochemical screening to determine the essential compounds and antimicrobial assay to determine its potential to selected food borne bacteria.

RESULTS

Based from the results, E. indica plant has phytochemicals which are proven to have antioxidant and antibacterial property. The presence of alkaloids, flavonoids and tannins based from the result of qualitative screening supports the wide range potential of E. indica flower and leaf extract. The antimicrobial assay results show that extracts have inhibited the growth of food borne bacteria such as Escherichia coli, Salmonella typhimurium and Staphylococcus aureus significantly.

DISCUSSIONS

Based on the results, the presence of essential phytochemicals with proven antibacterial property is the reason why Eleusine indica (Paragis) flower and leaf extract can inhibit the growth of Escherichia coli, Salmonella typhimurium and Staphylococcus aureus. This finding strongly supports the researchers' idea that E. indica plant has high. Potential in herbal medicine. The results of the study also imply that E. indica plant has a therapeutic value that can be used in traditional and folk medicine.