Enhancing Antibacterial Efficacy: Exploring the Synergistic Effects of Medicinal Plant Extracts and Antibiotics against E. coli

In this study, the focus was on exploring the antibacterial properties of selected medicinal plants and their combined effect with antibiotics. The research utilized five different isolates of Escherichia coli (E. coli). The findings revealed that methanol extracts from most tested plants hindered the growth of bacteria. Notably, black pepper exhibited the most significant inhibition with a zone diameter of 19 mm, followed by clove at 18 mm and thyme at 17 mm. It shows that when plant extracts are combined with antibiotics, they show a synergistic effect, effectively inhibiting the targeted organisms. Particularly, the synergy with black pepper extract proved to be more potent in inhibiting antibiotic-resistant bacteria, followed by clove and thyme, in descending order of effectiveness.