Development of polyherbal cream and evaluation of the physicochemical characterisation with its antibacterial properties

The study was conducted to formulate and evaluate a herbal cream which contains extracts of Psidium guajava, Garcinia mangostana and Centella asiatica. Creams have been developed containing the alcoholic herbal extracts. These creams were tested for pH, viscosity, spreadability and stability. All of the parameters are within the desired values. There were no changes in the physical properties of the creams after 2 months. In vitro antibacterial activity was performed against Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli using agar well diffusion method. The mixture of the extracts showed the greatest zone of inhibition (20 ± 1.79 mm) against Staphylococcus aureus compared to other samples. The formulated cream did not show any zone of inhibition against the Staphylococcus aureus. For Escherichia coli, no zone of inhibition was observed for the extracts and the formulated creams. Therefore, the herbals extracts lose its antibacterial properties when being incorporated into the cream. This shows that herbal extracts may be unsuitable to be incorporated into the formulation of cream.