Anti-oxidant, anti-microbial activities and phytochemical assay of aerial roots of Ficus benghalensis

Author(s): Soma Sekhar S.A.*, Venkateswara Rao B., Raghu Babu K.

Abstract

A country’s glory is determined by the resources present in it, especially flora and fauna. India is one of those countries of the world which is bestowed with vivid and diverse resources. The medicinal plants which are indigenous to this country are perhaps one of the most desired gifts of the nature. A few trees like Ficus benghalensis are so precious that every part of their entity can be used as a panacea for many chronic malaises. This paper focuses on the importance of aerial roots of the tree. The various important pharmaceutical activities like anti-oxidant and anti-microbial are studied. However, prior to these studies phyto-chemical assay of the aerial roots is also done. The various standard anti-oxidant studies include: Total phenolic content of the sample (absorbance at 750nm), DPPH radical scavenging activity, Nitric oxide free radical scavenging activity and reducing power ability. The anti microbial activities against K. pneumoniae and S.aureus were studied and the inhibition zones were recorded.

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