ANTIBACTERIAL AND ANTIOXIDATION ASSAY OF THALIPATHIRI CHOORANAM PRESCRIBED TO CURE COUGH BY THE CHERUTHIKONAM TRADITIONAL SIDDHA MEDICINAL PRACTITIONER OF KANYAKUMARI DISTRICT, INDIA

AbstractThalipathiri chooranam is a polyherbal formulation prepared from 15 different herbs being used for the treatment of kapha (in Tamil) diseases. Thalipathiri chooranam, aqueous, silver nitrate and petroleum ether extracts were tested for phytochemical, antioxidant and antibacterial activity against selected human pathogens viz. Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Klebsiella pneumoniae and Proteus vulgaris. The antibacterial assay revealed that the extracts corroborate good inhibitory activity against all test pathogens. The unexplored area of Thalipathiri chooranam towards their antioxidation effect in aqueous, silver nitrate and petroleum ether extracts indicated promising antioxidant activities in concentration dependent manner

Studies on the microbial diseases of dendrobium hybrid (orchids)

There is no baseline data available at present on the nature of various diseases that occur in a orchid population, under cultivation, in any commercial orchid farm maintained by small scale entrepreneurs who invest considerable amount of money, effort and time. The available data on type of disease symptoms, causative agent, , nature of pathogens, as to bacteria or ftmgi or any other biological agents, and their source, appropriate and effective control measures could not be devised, for large scale implementation and effective management, although arbitrary methods are being practiced by very few farms. Further influence of seasonal variations and environmental factors on disease outbreak is also not scientifically documented and statistically verified as to their authenticity. In this context, the primary objective of the present study was to create a data bank on the following aspects 1. Occurrence of different disease symptoms in Dendrobium hybrid over a period of one year covering all seasons 2. Variations in the environmental parameters at the orchid farms 3. Variations in the characteristics of water used for irrigation in the selected orchid farm 4. Microbial population associated with the various disease symptoms 5. Isolation and identification of bacteria isolated from diseased plants 6. Statistical treatment of the quantitative data and evolving statistical modelCochin University of Science and TechnologyDepartment of Biotechnology, Cochin University of Science and Technolog