Phytochemical Screening and Antibacterial Activity of Leaves Extract Balangla (Litsea cubeba (Lour) Pers.) from Malinau, East Borneo

Balangla (Litsea cubeba) plant is used as traditional medicine by Dayak Kenyah tribe in East Kalimantan. It contains active compounds that are efficient to treat many human diseases and believed to have an antibacterial activity. The purposes of this study were to determine the phytochemical compounds of the balangla leaves and to investigate the antibacterial activity of ethanol extract of leaves L. cubeba. Respectively, various levels of ethanol extract of L. cubeba leaves viz: 10%, 20%, 30%, 40%, 50%, 60%, 70%, 80%, 90%, 100% were used to examine its antibacterial activity against bacteria gram positive (Staphylococcus aureus) and gram negative (Escherichia coli) by using pitting diffusion method. The results indicated that alkaloids, flavonoids, phenols and steroids have been found as phytochemical compounds in the ethanol extracts of L. cubeba leaves. Meanwhile, the antibacterial activities of ethanol extracts of L. cubeba leaves against the test organisms had been determined and significantly inhibited the growth of S. aureus and E. coli, forming a wide inhibition zone (15.91±0.950 mm) for S. aureus and (16.23±0.416 mm) for E. coli. Further, antibacterial activity of (L. cubeba) in-vitro had been justified on its utility in traditional medicines for the treatment of infections of bacterial origin.