Anti-Microbial Activities of Turmeric and Ginger on Bacterial Isolates of Normal Skin Flora

The antimicrobial activity of Zingiber officinale (Ginger) and Curcuma longa (Turmeric) was evaluated using the agar well diffusion method. Different bacterial genera (Staphylococcus Epidermis and Bacillus Sp) which were isolated from the human skin were used as the test isolates. Ginger and turmeric extracted in two different solvents, ethanol and water. Different concentrations of the extracts were prepared and directly applied against bacterial genera to reveal their antimicrobial activity. Ethanol extracts of ginger and turmeric showed greater inhibitory effect against selected Staphylococcus epidermis and Bacillus sp followed by the water extract which had the least inhibitory property. Among the two extracts, ethanol extract of ginger made higher zone of inhibition than turmeric. The overuse of this herbs should be discouraged as they could reduce the microflora of the skin thereby exposing the skin to colonization by pathogens.