ANTIMICROBIAL ACTIVITIES OF SOME MEDICINAL PLANTS OF KASHMIR HIMALAYA AS BIORESOURCES TO OVERCOME THE CHALLENGES OF ANTIBIOTIC RESISTANCE

Through the realization of the continuous erosion of traditional knowledge of plants used for medicine in the past and the renewed interest at the present time, a need existed to review this valuable knowledge of medicinal plants with the purpose of developing medicinal plants sectors across the different states in India. Our major objectives therefore were to explore the potential in medicinal plants resources, to understand the challenges and opportunities with the medicinal plants sector, and also to suggest recommendations based upon the present state of knowledge for the establishment and smooth functioning of the medicinal plants sector along with improving the living standards of the underprivileged communities. The review reveals that State of Kashmir harbours a rich diversity of valuable medicinal plants, andattempts are being made at different levels for sustainable utilization of this resource in order to develop the medicinal plants sector. Antimicrobial activity refers to the process of killing or inhibiting the growth of microbes. Various antimicrobial agents are used for this purpose. Antimicrobial may be anti-bacterial, anti-fungal or antiviral. Antimicrobialactivity can be defined as a collective term for all active principles (agents) that inhibit the growth of bacteria, prevent the formation of microbial colonies, and may destroy microorganisms. In the field of antimicrobial finish, many common terms are used including antibacterial, bactericidal, bacteriostatic, fungicidal, fungistatic, biocidal, and biostatic. Antimicrobial activity refers to a situation where an active agent has a negative effect on the vitality of microorganisms.In present study we studied Antimicrobial Activities of Some Medicinal Plants of Kashmir Himalaya