INTRODUCTION
Cassia fistula Linn. (Leguminosae) is a very common plant and is widely known for its medicinal properties. In the Indian literature, this plant has been described to be useful against skin diseases, liver troubles, tuberculous glands and its use in the treatment of rheumatism, hematemesis, pruritus, leucoderma, and diabetes.[1,2] Besides, it has been found to exhibit anti-inflammatory and hypoglycemic activity and widely used as a mild laxative suitable for children and pregnant women.[3] Several reports are present on hepatoprotective,[4] antifertility,[5] and antioxidant properties of C. fistula.[6,7] Some studies have also been done on antimicrobial activity of C. fistula flower and seed along with some other Indian medicinal plants.[8–16] These studies give diminutive information on the…show more content… A loop full was withdrawn and uniformly distributed on the surface of the agar plate by streaking using a sterile swab. Wells of approximately 6 mm in diameter and 2.5-mm deep were made on the surface of the solid medium using a sterile borer. The plates were turned upside down and the wells labeled with a marker. The extracts were reconstituted by dissolving in dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO). Each well was filled with test sample. Sterile DMSO was used as negative control, while gentamicin and ciprofloxacin were used as positive control. The plates were incubated at 37°C for 24 hours. After 24 hours, the plates were removed and zones of inhibition measured with Himedia antibiotic scale and the results were tabulated. Extracts with zones of inhibition greater or equal to 8-mm diameter were regarded as positive. The mean±SD of the inhibition zone was taken for evaluating the antibacterial activity of the