The advent of antibiotics revolutionized medical care resulting in significantly reduced mortality and morbidity caused by infectious diseases. However, excessive use of antibiotics has led to the development of antibiotic resistance and indeed, the incidence of multidrug-resistant pathogens is considered as a major disadvantage in medication strategy, which has led the scholar's attention towards innovative antibiotic sources in recent years. Medicinal plants contain a variety of secondary metabolites with a wide range of therapeutic potential against the resistant microbes.
| Rosmarinus officinalisRosmarinus officinalis, commonly known as Rosemary, belongs to family Lamiaceae is an evergreen herb. Its medicinal activities commonly in leaves are due to the presence of chemical compounds including abietane, diterpenes, carnosic acid, carnosol and 12-methoxy-trans-carnosic acid. Biologically, this plant has antimicrobial potential against Staph. aureus with MIC value of 16-64 µg/mL. 38 3.2.7 | Argemone maxicana Argemone maxicana L. belongs to family Papaveraceae. Its seed, leaf, and latex are used for medicinal purposes. The chemical compounds present in A. maxicana L. are protopine, berberine, oxyberberine, columbamine, jatrorrhizine, and dehydrocorydalmine. It has been reported that methanolic extract of Argemone maxicana L. is effective against Staph. aureus, B. subtilis, E. coli, and P. aeruginosa. 39
| Hydrastis canadensisHydrastis canadensis belongs to family Ranunculaceae. Medicinally, its rhizomes are used to treat a set of various diseases like wounds, inflammation, and ulcers. Chemical constituents present in H. canadensis are berberine, beta-hydrastine, canadine, and canadaline. The extract of this plant is active against Staph. aureus, Strep. sanguis, E. coli, and P. aeruginosa. 40
| Citrus aurantifoliaCitrus aurantifolia belongs to family Rutaceae. Useful parts of this plant are fruit juice and rind of fruit as well as dried extract as powder, and seeds. Active compounds found in this plant are terpinene, pinene, limonene, hydrocarbons, monoterpenoids, citronellal, citral, vitamin C, and citric acid. Antimicrobial activity of the extract of C. aurantifolia against Staph. aureus and Candida albicans have been reported in published literature. 41
| Cymbopogon citratusCymbopogon citrate also called lemon grass belongs to the family Poaceae and its fruit and seeds are used in traditional medicine to treat bacterial infection, amoebiasis, hyperlipidaemia, and diabetes mellitus. Chemical constituents isolated from C. citratus are gammaterpinene, beta-pinene, hydrocarbons, monoterpenoids, limonene, citronellal, citral, terpineol, methyl heptanone, hesperidin, naringoside, hesperidoside, vitamin C, and citric acid. The microorganisms including Staph. aureus, Citrobacter freundii, Sal. enterica, Edwardsiella tarda, Pr. mirabilis, B. subtilis, B. cereus, Aeromonas hydrophila, Aeromonas caviae, E. coli, P. aeruginosa and K. pneumoniae are inhibited by this. 42 3.2.11 | Carica papaya Carica papaya belongs to fami...