In the laboratory tests, the compound isolated at the Central Institute for Medicinal and Aromatic Plants (CIAMP), Lucknow, has been found to be more potent than some antibiotics, Suman S Khanuja, the scientist heading the project, said here. Animal tests and clinical trials to determine the safety and efficacy of the compound are yet to be carried out, he said.

The herbal compound, after clearing the hurdles of animal and human trials, can lead to development of a fourth-generation antibiotic which would be more effective than the currently available antibiotics like Lomefloxacin, he said.

The compound has been isolated from a plant widely available in India, Khanuja said. However, he refused to disclose the name of the plant as the patent application had not yet been filed.