A Comparative Assessment of the Phytochemical Profile and Antibacterial Efficacy of Rumex crispus L. and Verbascum chinense (L.)

The biological assets of biodiversity hotspots provide rich reservoir for potential pharmaceutical agents to combat global rise in antimicrobial resistance. It is essential to scientifically validate medicinal properties of indigenous flora found in ecologically diverse regions to harness their therapeutic potential. The objective of present study was to evaluate phytochemical profiles and antibacterial efficacies of two wild herbaceous plants, Rumex crispus L. and Verbascum chinense (L.). Sant., collected from the Bilaspur district. These plants were selected based on their abundance in study area and rich phytochemical diversity. The crude extracts were prepared using 100 % ethanol, methanol and hot water. Their antimicrobial potential were screened against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus using the agar well-diffusion method. Qualitative analysis was revealed that R. crispus L. contains diverse range of secondary metabolites i.e., alkaloids, glycosides, saponins, terpenoids, steroids, flavonoids, and phenols whereas V chinense (L.). Sant. lacks alkaloids and steroids. The 100% ethanol extracts showed superior bioactivity compared to those obtained with other solvents. R. crispus was exhibited significant antibacterial potential with mean inhibition zones of 13.4 ± 2.6 mm against E. coli and 11.6 ± 2.0 mm against S. aureus. Statistical analysis based on One-way ANOVA revealed that there was highly significant differences among treatment groups for both E. coli (F = 185.38, p < 0.001) and S. aureus (F = 432.13, p < 0.001). These findings bring out pharmaceutical potential of R. crispus L. due to its diverse chemical composition. This validates its utility as a candidate for further isolation and characterization of antimicrobial compounds for pharmaceutical applications.