Antimicrobial activity of methanolic extracts of triphala and its components against clinical isolates of mrsa and vrsa isolated from pus samples

Background: Hospital acquired infections and wound infections are a major cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. The problem is complicated due to the sustained appearance of newer antibiotic resistant strains resulting in higher mortality rates. Herbal medicine offers a promising alternative to treatment of wound infections. The methanolic extracts of Triphala and its components are assessed for their antibacterial activity against antibiotic resistant pathogens, MRSA and VRSA. Material and Methods: Antibacterial activity of methanolic extracts of Triphala, amla, hirada and behada was tested against multidrug resistant bacterial wound pathogens isolated from pus samples. The eleven selected strains, MSSA, MRSA (confirmed by presence of mec A gene) and VRSA (based on MIC of Vancomycin) were used for testing antimicrobial activity by disc diffusion method. Results: Methanolic extract of Triphala showed antibacterial activity against MSSA and all ten hospital isolates of MRSA and VRSA. Significantly, all VRSA isolates were also susceptible to methanolic extracts of individual components of Triphala- amla, behada and hirada. Out of the three individual components of Triphala, hirada showed maximum inhibition against one of the MRSA isolate. Conclusion: Methanolic extracts Triphala and its individual components contain active constituents which show potent antibacterial activity against multidrug resistant Staphylococcus aureus- MRSA and VRSA.