Antimicrobial efficacy of the phytochemical constituents of Phyllanthus amarus Schumach., a wonder herb in Indian system of medicine

Phyllanthus amarus is a traditional ayrvedic herb used in Southern India for the treatment of jaundice.  Aerial parts of this plant species were found to possess antiviral, hepatoprotective and hypoglycemic properties. The principal constituents isolated from the leaves were Phyllanthin (bitter constituent) and hypophyllantin (a non-bitter compound). The alcohol extract of the whole plant has anticancer activity whereas the aqueous extract of the whole plant has hypoglycaemic activity.  Because of the importance of P.amarus in Siddha drugs and lack of adequate information regarding the phytochemical constituents, a study was undertaken to find out the presence of steroids, triterpenoids, alkaloids, phenolic compounds, catechine, flavonoids, saponins, tannins and anthroquinone using solvents such as ethanol, petroleum ether, chloroform, acetone and water.  The whole plant extract of P.amarus was tested for its In Vitro antimicrobial activity using disc diffusion method and it exhibited remarkable antibacterial activity against selected pathogens such as Staphylococcus aureus, Vibrio cholerae, Bacillus subtilis, Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and  Salmonella typhi.  Based on this investigation, it could be highlighted that Phyllanthus amarus is a chemical gold mine for the synthesis of valuable drugs.