Antibacterial Activity Test of Ethanol Extract of Lemongrass Leaves (Cymbopogon nardus (L.) Rendle) Against Staphylococcus epidermidis

Abstract

Bacterial infection is one of many people's most common health problems, especially in developing countries, including Indonesia. Staphylococcus epidermidis is one of the bacteria that causes infection. Lemongrass is a plant with several active compounds that can be use for treatment, one of which is an antibacterial. This research aimed to determine the antibacterial activity of lemongrass leaves ethanolic extract against Staphylococcus epidermidis. This type of research is a laboratory experiment using the disc diffusion method. The research stage includes making lemongrass leaves extract with variations concentrations of 5%, 10%, 20%, 40%, and 80%, phytochemical screening, and antibacterial activity testing. Data from the research were analyzed using One Way ANOVA. The results showed that the ethanol extract of Lemongrass leaves positively contained flavonoids, tannins, saponins, and essential oils. The results showed that lemongrass leaves extract had an inhibitory effect on the growth of Staphylococcus epidermidis at concentrations of 10%, 20%, 40%, and 80% with an inhibition zone diameter of 8.15 mm (moderate), 13.25 mm (substantial), 16.9 mm (concrete) and 20.6 mm (powerful), but at a concentration of 5% does not show antibacterial activity. Based on the One Way ANOVA testing results, the significance value was (p < 0.05), and the results showed a significant difference between the concentration variations of ethanolic extract lemongrass leaves against Staphylococcus epidermidis.