Pharmacognostical investigation and antibacterial activity of Nymphaea stellata Willd. leaves

Pharmacognostical studies of Nymphaea stellata Willd. leaves were carried out, including physicochemical parameters, phytochemical screening and TLC. Nymphaea stellata leaves are used for urinary tract infections in folk medicine. To validate the ethnomedical claim, in vitro antibacterial activity for the ethanolic extract of Nymphaea stellata leaves was evaluated against four reference bacteria by broth dilution and agar diffusion assays. The MIC of the ethanolic leaf extract was 2 mg/ml against Enterocococcus faecalis, P.-aeruginosa and 4 mg/ml against Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli. The ethanolic extract showed considerable antibacterial activity in agar diffusion assay