Abstract
Pterolobium hexapetalum is one of the important medicinal plants (Caesalpiniaceae) with significant herbal uses like diarrhea, skin disorders, constipation, piles and venereal diseases with leaf, stem bark, fruit and flower parts. Herbal drug also possess in high quantities of significant phytoconstituents in leaf and stem bark extracts like alkaloids, flavonoids, phenols, glycosides, tannins, quinines and steroids with effective antibacterial activity of aqueous and methanol extracts at 10 mg/well with 0.312- 0.625mg of MIC values. Hence it is also necessary for scientific validation of antifungal activities of fruit extracts on A.niger and C. candida in support of its herbal uses against diarrhea, constipation, piles and ulcer. Antifungal activity of fruit aqueous, methanol, benzene and alcohol extracts at 10mg/well proved effective with 26-36mm zone of inhibition on both organisms with 0.156-0.625mg Minimum Inhibitory Concentration values. Antifungal activity of P. hexapetalum aqueous, methanol and benzene extracts are supported with the earlier reports of other Caesalpiniaceae species like B.purpurea, B.racemosa, B.rufesens, C.alata, C.fistula, C.tora, C.nigricans, Caesalpinia bonducella, C.sappan, Hardwickia binata, Peltophorum pterocarpum, Sena alata and T.indica on fungal strains like Candida, Aspergillus, Pencillium, Trichophyton, Epidermophyton, Blastomycetes, Microsporium, Neisseria and Rhizopus species.
