Antifungal effects of tulsi, garlic, cinnamon and lemongrass in powder and oil form on Candida albicans : An in vitro study

The use of plants for treating diseases is as old as the human species. Medicinal plants have been a major source of therapeutic agents for alleviation and cure of diseases. The objective of the study was to evaluate and compare the antifungal activity of garlic, cinnamon, lemongrass and tulsi in powder and oil form at different concentrations on . Powder and oil of garlic, cinnamon, lemongrass and Tulsi dissolved in inert solvent dimethyl formamide to obtain different concentration. Stock solution of different concentration was inoculated on Petri plates containing and incubated at 30°C for 48 h. The inhibition zones were measured in millimeters using Vernier caliper. The collected data were analyzed using statistical test like mean value and one-way analysis of variance. Maximum zone of inhibition for the was 42 mm at concentrations of 50% for the oil of lemongrass; followed by cinnamon 40 mm, garlic 24 mm and tulsi 20 mm. The value obtained 0.050, 0.040, 0.036 and 0.031 were found to be statically significant for at 20%, 30%, 40% and 50% concentrations of the various oil preparations, respectively. The value obtained 0.043, 0.033, 0.032 and 0.027 were found to be statically significant for at 20%, 30%, 40% and 50% concentrations of various plant powder, respectively. Lemongrass and cinnamon oil shows best antifungal effect against as compared to garlic and tulsi. Compared to powder preparations, the oil preparations are better to inhibit the growth and higher the concentrations, greater the zone of inhibition seen in all the plant extracts and in oil.