ANTIMICROBIAL POTENTIAL OF HERBAL MEDICINES

Herbal medicines are widely used since time immemorial indicating that herbs are a growing part of modern, high-tech medicine.India has an ancient heritage of traditional herbal medicine. The World Health Organization estimates that about 80% of the populations living in the developing countries rely almost exclusively on traditional medicine for their primary health care needs. The use of herbal drugs for treating various diseases predates human history forms the origin of much of the modern medicine.The medicinal plants are used for various diseases because of their safety and effectiveness. The problem of microbial resistance is growing and the outlook for the use of antimicrobial drugs in the future is still uncertain. Therefore, actions must be taken to control the use of antibiotic, to develop research to better understand the genetic mechanisms of resistance, and to continue studies to develop either synthetic or natural new drugs. Numerous studies have been done on herbals confirming their potential antimicrobial property against microorganisms. One of the strategies towards attaining this objective is the rational localization of bioactive phytoconstituents. This review provides the important methods for evaluating the antibacterial potency of selected plants and also the mechanism of action responsible for antimicrobial potency.