Phytochemical screening and antibacterial activity of lemongrass (Cymbopogon citratus) leaves essential oil

Abstract

The phytochemicals detected in lemongrass leaves essential oil were flavonoids, tannins, saponins, steroids, terpenoids and coumarins. The antibacterial activity of lemongrass leaves essential oil was tested against six potential pathogens by agar well diffusion method and the results depicted that lemongrass essential oil generated the inhibition zones of 32.0±0.75, 48.0±1.05 and 21.0±0.64 mm against all three gram positive pathogens viz. Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus subtilis and Bacillus cereus, respectively, whereas Proteus vulgaris was the only gram negative pathogenic bacteria against which a zone of inhibition of 23.0±0.73 mm was reported and no inhibition zone was observed for Pseudomonas aeruginosa as well as Escherichia coli. The zone of inhibition produced by lemongrass oil against Bacillus subtilis was significantly (P