Antimicrobial and Phytochemical Properties of Areca catechu L. Leaf and Root Extracts

Abstract

Areca catechu L. is a commonly used herb in Ayurvedic medicine. Areca catechu L. belongs to the family Arecaceae is commonly called as Betel nut, grows in much of the tropical pacific, Asia and parts of East Asia. It is one of the most commonly used drug in the world containing alkaloids, tannins, carbohydrate and protein that have anthelmintic, antibacterial, antifungal, anti-inflammatory and anti oxidant activities. Plants produce a wide variety of phytochemical constituents, which are secondary metabolites and are used either directly or indirectly in the pharmaceutical industry. ‘For centuries, man has effectively used various components of plants or their extracts for the treatment of many diseases, including bacterial infections. In the present study acetone extracts of Areca catechu leaf and root were subjected for antimicrobial activity by well-diffusion method against five bacterial strains and five fungal strains. The results revealed that the extracts exhibited strong inhibitory activity against all the tested organisms (zone of inhibition of 3-15 mm). The extracts were screened for their phytochemical constituents by standard protocols’ and were shown to contain carbohydrates, proteins, alkaloids, flavonoids, saponins, terpenoid, coumarins and tannins. The antimicrobial activity of these extracts is possibly linked to the presence of flavonoids, saponins and/or tannins.