• 보존과학연구
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• s.33
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• pp.5-17
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• 2012

An Ola leaf manuscript, which consists of words carved on an Ola leaf and is filled up with a mixture of herbal oils made from Vateria acuminata Hyne and charcoal, is one of the native writing media in Sri Lanka. According to historical records, Ola leaf manuscripts had been used from the 1st to the 18th century A.D. From the recent findings that Ola leaf manuscripts have been preserved well for the past 400 years and are in good state of preservation, it is supposed that herbal oils preserve Ola leaves against environmental and biological factors such as fungi and insects. To evaluate the anti-biological susceptibility of the herbal oils, the molds isolated from wooden printing blocks in Janggyeong Panjeon of Haeinsa Temple in South Korea and bacteria and fungi isolated from Ola leaves were cultured. After spreading the microorganisms suspension on an agar plate, a disk paper containing a certain volume of herbal oil was placed on the agar plate. It was found in the experiment that herbal oil exhibits a clear zone, which is optically clear and inhibits the growth of microorganisms, against some molds and bacteria. The study results indicate that the herbal oil from the plant Vateria acuminata Hyne has the anti-bacterial and anti-fungal properties.