Antibacterial Activities of Mentha Piperita, Pisum Sativum and Momordica Charantia

The juices of leaves and stem of Mentha piperita (peppermint), skin and seeds of Pisum sativum (garden pea), skin and pulp of Momordica charantia (bitter melon) were screened for antibacterial activities against 56 isolates belonging to 11 different species of Gram-negative bacilli: Escherichia coli (19), Klebsiella pneumoniae (11), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (9), Salmonella typhi (3), Salmonella paratyphi A (1), Salmonella paratyphi B (1), Proteus mirabilis (5), Proteus vulgaris (1), Enterobacter aerogenes (4), Shigella dysenteriae (1), and Yersinia enterocolitica (1). The screening was performed by well diffusion method. Leaves of M. piperita exhibited highest antibacterial activity (average zone of inhibition 17.24 mm ± 0.87 SD) while stem of M. piperita exhibited least antibacterial activity (average zone of inhibition 15.82 mm ± 3.56 SD). The skin and seeds of P. sativum, skin and pulp of M. charantia exhibited good antibacterial activity with average zone of inhibition of 16.30 mm ± 2.02 SD, 16.39 mm ± 3.16 SD, 16.16 mm ± 2.17 SD and 15.88 mm ± 2.24 SD respectively.