Antimicrobial Activities of Watercress, a local medicinal plant of KPK

Medicinal plants are considered very important in primary health care system. A large number of plants are known for their medicinal properties. Nasturtium officinale (Watercress) is a traditional medicinal plant of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK), Pakistan, that has been used for the treatment of different infectious diseases. In the present study, 80% methanolic and aqueous extracts of Nasturtium officinale, were used to investigate for their antimicrobial potential to substantiate the folklore claims on scientific bases. The antibacterial activity was determined using agar-well diffusion method, against Gram-ive and Gram+ive bacterial strains. Antifungal activity was determined by agar tube dilution method. All the bacterial strains showed inhibition against both of the extracts, with varying diameter of zones of inhibitions. Exception was only in the case of E.coli (Gram-ive). The crude extract showed moderate activity against Aspergillus flavus. Minimal Inhibitory Concentration (MIC) was evaluated against bacterial pathogens using agar dilution method. The results of present research findings coincide with the traditional use of this plant.