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Tangkahan Conservation Forest in Karo County, North Sumatera has high biodiversity of endemic herbs. Many species of the wild herbs are well known used as traditional medicine not only by local people but also by people out of the area. The methanol extract of the medicinal wild herbs in Tangkahan Conservation Forest, Karo County to relief skin diseases caused by bacteria and fungi never been studied medically. The antimicrobial activity leave extract of the medicinal herbs to pathogenic microorganisms are studied. The leaves extract of kembu-kembu (Callicarpa candicans), rintih bulung (Piper muricatum), cep-cepan (Castanopsis costata), and sereh kayu (Eugenia grandis), has antimicrobial to bacteria (Bacillus sp., Escherichia coli, Serratia marcescens, Staphylococcus aureus) and yeast (Candida albicans). Toxicity assay of these plants by brine shrimp method using Artemia salina indicates that cep-cepan dan sereh kayu have lethal concentration higher than kembu-kembu and rintih bulung.

Hydrocarbon contamination in soil and water is still a major concern and considered as a serious environmental issue to various natural habitats. Microbial degradation of hydrocarbon compounds is considered as one of eco-friendly method to overcome this issue of contamination. Toulene-degrading bacteria were successfully recovered from contaminated marine seawater of Belawan and Tanjung Balai, North Sumatera. Three bacterial isolates identified as Pseudomonas aeruginosa TJB01, Pseudomonas sp. TJB05, and Acinetobacter sp. SBG05 were subjected to degradation test by evaluating their hydrocarbon-degrading activities towards Toluene as one of selected hydrocarbon compounds of BTEX. Parameters observed in this study were bacterial cell density (Colony-forming unit/mL) by using Total Plate Count method and hydrocarbon residues (ppm) quantified by using Gas Chromatography. Initial concentration of Toluene was detected 173.10 ppm. Isolate P. aeruginosa TJB01 produced the highest cell density (log 7.94 CFU.mL−1) and produced the highest toluence degradation (%) at 59.46% than other isolates and bacterial consortium during 12 days of incubation period. Further investigations are needed to optimize consortium potential in exhibiting better degradation activities.

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