Biological effects of indigenous medicinal plants Curcuma longa and Alpinia galanga

The ethanolic extracts of Curcuma longa and Alpinia galanga exhibited excellent (100%) phytotoxic activity against Lemna minor. These extracts were also found to possess good antifungal activities against Trichophyton longifusus (65% and 60%, respectively), while in the brine shrimp lethality bioassay were found to be toxic with LD50 of 33 and 109 μg/ml, respectively. These extracts were found quite inert in antibacterial bioassay, while the extract from C. longa, tested for insecticidal activity, was also found to be devoid of any activity.