Plants remain the most common source of anti-microbial agents. Their usage, as traditional health remedies, is the most popular for 80 % of world population in Asia, Latin America and Africa. Herbs are reported to have minimal side effects. In recent years, pharmaceutical companies have spent a lot of time and money in developing natural products extracted from plants, to produce more cost effective remedies that are affordable to the population. The rising incidence in multidrug resistance amongst pathogenic microbes has further necessitated the need to search for newer antibiotic sources. Several members of the genus Bridial are being used traditionally for wide variety of ethno-pharmacological properties.
The plant of Bridialmacrantha Nees (Lauraceae), commonly known as Gulmau, is a large tree grows up to 27 m in height, found in Bihar and Deccan peninsula (Western Ghats of Maharashtra, India). The bark is used in pleurisy, asthma and rheumatism2. The leaves are also used externally in the treatment of ulcers3,4. The bark of BridialmacranthaNees has a pleasant odour, is cheap substitute for cinnamomuminers. The bark is a rich source of mucilage5. Anti-inflammatory activity of bark has also been reported6. As a result of indiscriminate use of antimicrobial drugs in the treatment of infectious diseases, microorganisms have developed resistance to many antibiotics. There is need to develop alternative antibiotic drugs from natural origin. One approach is to screen local medicinal plants which represent rich source of novel antimicrobial agents.
