¹Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Rajarambapu College of Pharmacy, Kasegaon, Dist – Sangli, Maharashtra, India
²Department of Pharmaceutics, Rajarambapu College of Pharmacy, Kasegaon, Dist – Sangli, Maharashtra, India
³Department of Pharmacognosy, Rajarambapu College of Pharmacy, Kasegaon, Dist – Sangli, Maharashtra, India DOI : 10.12991/jrp.2018.107 In the Indian system of medicine-Ayurveda, azadirachta indica, adhatoda vasica, piper betle, ocimum tenuiflorum and pongamia pinnata has been mentioned as a remedy for treatment of various infectious diseases and ailments. Based on the folkloric use, the present study was designed to formulate and evaluate polyherbal gel containing extracts of Azadirachta indica, Adhatoda vasica, Piper betle, Ocimum tenuiflorum and Pongamia pinnata. Gel formulations (Formulation A, B and C) were prepared which comprised of the ethanolic extracts of Azadirachta indica, Adhatoda vasica, Piper betle, Ocimum tenuiflorum and Pongamia pinnata in a concentration of 0.1, 0.3 and 0.5 %, respectively in a base. The prepared formulations were evaluated for appearance and homogeneity, pH, viscosity and rheological studies, spreadability, skin irritation test (patch test) and washability. The formulations were also screened for their antimicrobial activity by disc plate method against S. aureus, B. subtilis, A. niger and E. coli. The results of the studies revealed that all formulations under study viz. A, B and C showed better zone of inhibition as compared with the control. However, formulation C exhibited maximum activity against the selected strains which may be attributed to its greater amount of herbal extracts as compared to formulation A and B. The polyherbal gel formulations were observed to possess antimicrobial action. The effective activity may be attributed to the synergistic action of the plants constituents present in the formulation. Keywords : Antimicrobial activity; patch test; polyherbal gel; evaluation test