Anti-Microbial Screening and Elemental Analysis of the Siddha Medicinal Oil ‘Oon Poochu Thailam’ - A Debriding Agent used in Sloughing Ulcers and Fistulae

Abstract

Non healing ulcers constitute a potentially serious medical and as well as surgical illness. Wounds that contain necrotizing and less perfused (low oxygen content) tissue take longer to close and heal without proper clearing of dead or non viable tissue. The Siddha formulation “Oon Poochu Thailam” (OPT) is indicated for curing sloughing ulcers, sinuses and fistulae, supposedly by acting as a chemical debriding agent (like topical debriding agent). In this present study it was aimed for screening the antimicrobial activities of the ingredients of Oon Poochu Thailam and to analyze the elemental constituents of the ingredients [salt of Achyranthes aspera (AA), and salt of Sesamum indicum (SI) plant] by using Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS). The antimicrobial activity of the ingredients of OPT were studied in the concentration of 100mg/ml against Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumonia, Proteus mirabilis, Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Shigella sonnei, Aeromonas hydrophila, Salmonella typhimurium, Vibrio cholera, Bacillus cereus and Candida albicans. Antibacterial and antifungal potential of the OPT ingredients were assessed both individually and together in terms of zone of inhibition of bacterial and fungal growths. The test items 1(AA), 2(SI) and 4(Mixture of AA, SI & SA) have shown a broad spectrum of anti-microbial activity against bacteria and fungi.

Keywords

• oon poochu thailam
• sinus
• fistula
• debridement