Life sciences Leaflets 8: 35-39,2012 FREE DOWNLOAD ISSN 2277-4297(Print)0976–1098(Online) http://lifesciencesleaflets.ning.com/ PEER-REVIEWED Page | 35 Published on: 1 st Aug 2012 ANTIMICROBIAL ACTIVITY OF LEAF EXTRACT OF PSORALEA CORYLIFOLIA L. 1* P.A. HOSAMANI, 2 .H.C. LAKSHMAN AND 2 K. SANDEEPKUMAR 1 DEPARTMENT OF BOTANY, BANGURNAGAR DEGREE COLLEGE, DANDELI-581 325 2 P.G.DEPARTMENT OF BOTANY, KARNATAKA UNIVERSITY DHARWAD -580 003 pahosamani@rediffmail.com ABSTRACT: Antimicrobial activity of leaf extract of Psoralea corylifolia L. was studied using different solvent like chloroform, acetone, ethanol and water against bacterial strains like Bacillus subtilis, Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonus aeruginosa, Escherichia.coli and fungal strains Aspergillus niger and Penicillum chrysogenum. The antimicrobial activity was determined by disc diffusion method. Out of the four extract used, chloroform acetone and ethanol extracts were found to be highly active against Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus subtilis ,Escherichia.coli and Aspergillus niger. KEY WORD: Psoralea corylifolia, Bacillus subtilis, Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonus aeruginosa , Aspergillus niger INTRODUCTION: The beginning of human civilization, medicinal plants have been used by mankind for its therapeutic value. Medicinal plants represent a rich source of antimicrobial agents and plant origin herbal medicines represent one of the most important fields of traditional medicine all over the world. In the present time, drug resistance in microbes is a very serious problem and hence, herbal medicines are symbolizing safety in contrast to the synthetics that are regarded as unsafe to human and environment. There are varied methods of medicines like Aurveda, Homeopathy and Unani, which utilize plant materials for many potent and powerful drug productions. Presently, Aurveda considered as a vital system of medicine and governed the worldwide recognition and having non-toxic substances. A wide range of medicinal plant parts is used for extract as raw drugs and they possess varied medicinal properties. Psoralea corylifolia L., of the family Fabaceae, a much branched annual herb, it is a native to India and Iraq. It is found as a weed in waste places in Madhya Pradesh, Chattisgarh, Uttar Pradesh, Uttaranchal, Rajasthan, Gujarat and Andhra Pradesh. Traditional practitioners use this plant as a laxative, aphrodisiac, anthelmintic, diuretic and diaphoretic (Yoganarasimhan, 1996). As medicinal plants are gaining more