Paper Title
Antifungal Activity of Blumea lacera

Abstract
Herbal medicines are in great demand in the developed as well as in developing countries for primary health care because of their wide biological and medicinal activities, higher safety margin and lower costs. The use of plants in treatment of burns, dermatophytes and infectious diseases is common in traditional medicine. The development of new antimicrobial agents against resistant pathogens is increasing interest. The present study describes the antifungal activity of Blumea lacera against microrgnism. Blumea lacera L., Compositae, is one of the common rabi weeds of India. It is an annual herb, with a strong odor of turpentine The antimicrobial activity of Blumea lacera was assessed against Aspergillus flavus, Aspergillus niger, Alternaria sp., Penicillium sp. and Fusarium sp. Different solvents like methanol, acetone, and water were used for the preparation of plant extracts in various concentrations. The antifungal activities of all these extracts were determined by paper disc method. Nearly all the extracts were found effective against these fungi. The positive results so obtained were compared with that of the reference standard fungicide (Carbendazim). It was found that most of the extracts were more effective against fungi than the control fungicide.