Abstract

ANTI-MICROBIAL ACTIVITY OF RATHI NAGARA RASA MEZHUGU

Dr. Veerasivaraman M.*, Dr. Brunda S., Dr. Anbarasan B. and Dr. Madhavan R.

Abstract

The Siddha system of medicine describes various treatments to cure the disease by the siddhars in the struggle to preserve human health for healthy human life. In the present study antimicrobial activity and microbial load of Siddha herbo mineral drug, Rathi nagara rasa mezhugu (RNM) were studied. Anti-microbial activity against gram positive and gram negative microorganisms was studied by using the cup plate method. The antimicrobial screening shows that the drug RNM exhibited bigger zone of inhibition of about 8-22 mm against candida albicans followed by 9-20 mm against pseudomonas aeruginosa, 8-19mm against bacillus cereus, 7-10 mm against staphylococcus aureus, 7-9 mm against Escherichia coli at different concentrations in volume of 80 μl/well. Microbial load to evaluate the total bacterial count, total fungal count, E.coli, Salmonella spp, Staphylococcus aureus, Enterobacter was done by using pour plate method. The result of the study further proves the bacterial and fungal count are within permissible limits as per WHO 2007, and absence of pathogens such as E.coli, Enterobacter, Salmonella Spp and Staphylococcus aureus.

Keywords: Siddha, Rathinagara rasa mezhugu, antimicrobial activity, microbial load.