Screening of selected medicinal plants of Nepal for antimicrobial activities

In an ethnopharmacological screening of selected medicinal plants used in Nepal, methanol extracts from 21 plant species were assayed for activity against 8 strains of bacteria and 5 strains of fungi. Duplicate assays were conducted with and without exposure to UV-A radiation to test for light-activated or light-enhanced activity. All 21 of the extracts showed activity against at least 2 bacterial strains, and 20 showed activity against at least 2 fungi. Six extracts were active only when exposed to UV-A light, and the antibiotic or antifungal effect of 14 extracts was enhanced upon exposure to light.