Since the ancient time medicinal plants and spices are used as herbal medicine because of their medicinal values. They are the valuable resources of the natural antimicrobial compounds used to treat the infectious disease caused by bacteria and other pathogens. Plant’s extract, essential oil and numerous kinds of secondary compounds had antibacterial, antiviral, antifungal and antioxidants activities with less or no toxic effects; that are essential to cure many diseases. The compounds isolated from the medicinal spice plants show antimicrobial activity against some bacterial strains that has the ability to affect the food quality and shelf life of the food. These plants have various medicinal properties like anti-inflammatory action, tonic, expectorants, diuretics, astringents, digestives, carminative, antibiotics and stimulants etc. The spectrum of compounds present in medicinal spice plants, and the structure of major compounds discussed in this review, are responsible for all of their medicinal properties. Therefore, plants are used in the form of maceration, fluid extracts, oil, syrup, juice, decoction, powder, tea and ointments. In the terms of the frequencies and configuration of various radicals both medicinal plants and antibiotics are different. Since plant-based products have no toxicity, also less costly than conventional drugs, research on the compounds found in medicinal plants and their action against harmful microbial species should be conducted in order to improve human health and expand the use of medicinal plants. Plants also have the ability to inhibit or alter protein-protein interactions, making them a powerful modulator of signal transduction, apoptosis, mitosis and immune response.
