Keywords
Yagya Samagri
fungal spores
antifungal activity
How to Cite
Abstract
Fungal spores are universal airborne components indoors and outdoors and are now generally recognized. Some fungi and their spores have a negative effect on human health and are the cause of allergies. Diseases caused by fungi that affect individuals include atopic dermatitis, skin infection, allergic conjunctivitis, asthma, and allergic bronchopulmonary mycosis. Agnihotra, a traditional fire ritual described in the Vedas, has been reported to purify air and water and reduce the pathogenicity of airborne microorganisms [1]. Due to lack of information about the beneficial effect of yagya people are more prone to synthetic chemical fresheners and disinfectants. This study was aimed to perform Agnihotra at home to reduce microbial concentration from air as well as use of some Indian herbs (Yagya Samagri) to produce fresh fragrance and to study the effect of herbal fume and extract on dominant fungal spores present in indoor air. The result from this experiment concluded that the fume generated from Agnihotra reduces the number of fungal spores present in the air. These findings suggest that Agnihotra fumes possess antimicrobial properties capable of reducing fungal spore concentrations, though further replicated studies are needed to confirm this effect. In addition, methanolic extracts of the Yagya samagri herbs, particularly Azadirachta indica, showed the strongest in vitro antifungal activity among the tested preparations, with a maximum zone of inhibition of 30 mm against Penicillium sp.
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