Antimicrobial effectiveness of Indian Valerian (Valeriana Jatamansi Jones ex Roxb.)

Valeriana jatamansi Jones belongs to the family Caprifoliaceae, commonly known as Indian valerian distributed in Pakistan, Afghanistan, Himalayas and China. It is a perennial herbaceous plant having multiple therapeutic uses. The study was aimed to screen out antifungal and antibacterial potential of Valeriana jatamansi, an important medicinal plant of high mountainous regions. Different fractions were prepared and tested against the selected bacterial and fungal species causing diseases in human beings. In bacterial activity, four species S. mutans, S. marcescence, S. aureus, and Methiciffin resistance staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) were selected. Five fractions of methanolic extracts, n-hexane, chloroform, ethyl acetate, and aqueous were prepared are tested against the above bacterial species. The methanolic extracts showed a high zone of inhibition (46-52%) against all the selected bacterial species followed by the n-hexane fraction. The lowest antibacterial activity was exhibited by aqueous fractions. Antifungal activity was also tested against four fungal species i.e. Polyspondylium pallidum, Aspergillus flavus, Fusarium oxysporum and Alternaria alternate. The highest antifungal activity was shown in methanolic extracts (34-48%) against all the selected fungi followed by ethyl acetate fraction (34-37%) against P. pallidum and F. oxysporum and the lowest antifungal activity was shown by an aqueous fraction. It was concluded that Valeriana jatamansi are good source of antifungal and bacterial drugs having multiple therapeutic uses.