Ethnomedicinal plants with antibacterial activity

Abstract

Despite the successful development of antibiotics, infectious diseases remain the world’s second leading cause of death. At the same time, antibiotic resistance has emerged as a major challenge in the twenty-first century. The abundance of phytochemicals found in medicinal plants offers a promising avenue for the development of new drugs. Plants, which are known for synthesizing a wide range of secondary metabolites, have disease-prevention properties. Plant-derived products have distinct advantages for medical treatments, including potential efficacy and minimal to no side effects. However, developing new antimicrobial compounds from plant extracts appears to be difficult to overcome. Still, ongoing efforts are being made to improve the antimicrobial activity of phytochemical compounds. The information about few ethnomedicinally important plants studied for in vitro antimicrobial activity is provided in this chapter.