Abstract: Saussurea lappa plant is known as costus and traditionally used by
popular as a treatment for headaches and upper respiratory tract infections.
Therefore, this study was aimed to assess the antioxidant and antimicrobial
activities of Saussurea lappa and highlight its biochemical features that may be of
potential clinical significance. Different chromatographic methods including paper
and thin layer chromatography were used to detect the presence of flavonoids and
phenolic acids in the plant root. Three biological active flavonoids (rutin, quercetin
and apigenin) were found in Saussurea lappa root extact. Metals content of the root
were also determined qualitatively and quantitatively using the inductively coupled
plasma technique. The root was screened for antimicrobial activity using disc
diffusion technique and appeared to have antibacterial effect against some bacteria
(Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeroginosa, Neisseria gonorrhea, Klebsiella
pneumonia, Enterobacter aerogenes) with minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC)
ranged from 250-400 µg/ml.
Keywords: Saussurea lappa, costus, antimicrobial agents, phenolic acids, MIC,
flavonoids