Abstract
The antibacterial and anti-fungal activities of the methanol and its sub fractions of chloroform, ethyl acetate, and water extracts of the roots, stem and leaves of Calendula officinalis were carried out against bacterial strains, Staphylococus aureus, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Salmonella typhymurium and Escherichia coli, and fungal species including Aspergilla fumigates, Fusarium solani, Aspergillus niger, and Aspergilla flavus. Phytochemical analysis was also performed using the literature methods. The studied medicinal plant extracts against the tested bacterial strain, C. officinalis showed very promising results against both the Gram positive and Gram negative bacterial and fungal species. The significant antibacterial activity of active extracts was compared with the standard antimicrobics, gentamicin (10 mu g/disc). The methanolic extracts showed inhibitory effects of 16 mm each of the stem and leaves samples against S. typhymurium and S. aureus. The water extract of leaves has 17 mm against S. typhymurium and very high activity among all the extracts 18 mm inhibition of the roots against E. coli. The antifungal activity of the extracts showed significantly variable results against the tested fungal strains. Phytochemical studied indicated that the roots, stem and leaves contain secondary metabolites such as alkaloids, flavonoids, saponins, anthraquinone, terpenoids, tannins, reducing sugar, cardiac glycosides etc. These phytochemicals are present predominantly in the roots, stem and leaves of C. officinalis. A fluorescence characteristic of the roots stem and leaves powders and their extracts were also investigated.