Evaluation of Antibacterial, Antifungal and Anthelmintic Activity of a Medico-religious plant, Corchorus depressus Linn. (Tiliaceae)

The present study describes screening for antimicrobial and anthelmintic activity of the petroleum ether and alcoholic extracts of Corchorus depressus Linn. (Tiliaceae). The plant has been used in the traditional Indian system of medicine as an antibacterial, antifungal and anthelmintic drug, as a tonic, cooling medicine in fevers; its mucilage is prescribed in gonorrhea. Root is rubbed on stone and smeared over forehead to get relief in migraine; extract of plant is applied as a paste in healing of wounds. The HPLC chromatograms of the methanolic extract shows a single large peak with a retention time 6.451 min along with other components.  The Anthelmintic activity was studied on adult Indian earthworms, ‘Pheretima posithuma’. The methanolic extract produced more significant Anthelmintic activity than petroleum ether extract and the activities are comparable with the reference drug Piperazine citrate. The methanolic whole plant extract exhibited significant anti bacterial, antifungal activity, comparable to the standard drug tetracycline. The present study confirms the folklore claim of the plant utilized for its antimicrobial activity