An increase in the number of antibiotic resistant strains makes the discovery of new therapeutic agents critically
important. During present study antimicrobial effects of the leaf extracts of Vitex nugundo (VN) and Gloriosa superba
(GS) in combination with chloramphenicol, on Escherichia coli, Salmonella typhi, Staphlococcus aureus and Candida
albicans was investigated. For this purpose, the dilution sensitivity and disc diffusion techniques were respectively
applied in determining minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of the plant extracts, and the sensitivities of the
organisms to the plant extracts and their combinations with chloramphenicol. V. nugundo and G. superba showed very
high antimicrobial activity against all the test organisms. In combination, the effect of VN on E. coli and S. typhi was
completely antagonized by that of GS whereas additive effect on S. aureus and C. albicans was observed, indicating that
the combination of VN and GS might be effective against gram positive pathogenic organisms. The combination of
either plant extract with chloramphenicol produced synergistic effect on only C. albicans. The smaller MIC of GS
indicated greater effectivity than VN. It is concluded that the additive effect produced by the combination of the two
plant extracts, and the synergic effect from the combination of any of the extracts with chloramphenicol, offer alternative
therapy to gram positive bacterial infections and candidiasis respectively.