STUDY ON DISINFECTANT POTENTIAL OF LEMON GRASS OIL AGAINST COMMON PATHOGENS.

Essential oils of aromatic plants species are used in industries for the production of soaps, perfumes and toiletries. Many of them are also used in traditional medicine for various purposes. Investigations concerning the evaluation of the biological activities of essential oils of some medicinal plants have revealed that some of them exhibited antibacterial, antifungal and insecticidal properties. Lemon grass oil, extracted from the herb Cymbopogon citratus is one of the essential oils known for its various properties. The present study focused on the laboratory investigation of the effectiveness of lemon grass oil as a disinfectant and compares its activity with a commonly used chemical disinfectant. Surface disinfection test was performed to assess the effectiveness of the three disinfectants under the conditions in which they would be used. The result of present study suggests the use of lemon grass oil as a safe natural alternative to chemical disinfectants. It is effective in controlling pathogenic microorganisms and can be used in undiluted form for disinfecting highly contaminated areas while only 1:2 or 1:4 dilutions is needed in areas of low pathogenic density. As a natural plant derived volatile oil, it is safe, non- toxic and environment friendly when compared with other chemical disinfectants.