Authors: Ankita Patel
Abstract: Chenopodium album (Linn.), commonly known as lamb's quarters or bathua, is a fast-growing annual plant of the family Amaranthaceae with a long history of traditional medicinal use. This study investigates the antimicrobial potential of methanol and acetone leaf extracts of C. album against six pathogenic bacteria and six fungal strains using disc diffusion, well diffusion, and poisoned food techniques. Extraction was performed using the Soxhlet method with 25 g of powdered dried leaf material in 50 ml of methanol and acetone solvent mixture. Results demonstrated notable antibacterial activity against both Gram-positive and Gram-negative organisms, with acetone extract producing the largest inhibition zones against Escherichia coli (19.5 mm) by disc diffusion and 20.1 mm by well diffusion. Antifungal assays revealed that a mixture of methanolic and acetone extracts achieved up to 99% mycelial inhibition against Aspergillus niger at 7 days incubation. These findings suggest that C. album harbors broad-spectrum antimicrobial compounds with significant pharmaceutical potential.
