European Journal of Medicinal Plants

The uses of medicinal plants for treatment of various infections in traditional communities have been an age-long practice. This provides the rationale to study medicinal plant extracts as a possible source of alternative therapy against infections. The current study was undertaken to evaluate the phytochemical and antimicrobial properties of Aspilia africana. The antimicrobial activity and minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of the extracts of A. africana were evaluated against eight organisms-Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Salmonella typhi, Candida albicans, Aspergillus niger, Penicillum spp and Fusarium spp. The ethanolic and aqueous extracts were obtained by standard methods. Antimicrobial activity was conducted using a modified agar well diffusion method. The phytochemical screening and analysis carried out in this study showed that the plant extracts contains alkaloids (6.350±0.84), saponins (2.260±0.15), flavonoids (2.006±0.11), tannins (0.881±0.04) and phenols (0.109±0.02). The result showed that ethanolic extract of A. africana exerted antimicrobial effect on the test organisms at 25 mg/ml, 50 mg/ml and 100 mg/ml concentrations, while the hot aqueous extract exerted antimicrobial effect at 100 mg/ml only on Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The ethanolic extract of A. Africana showed the highest antimicrobial activity with diameter of zone of inhibition of 3.35 mm to 17.9 mm at 100 mg/concentration. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of the ethanolic extracts was at a concentration of 25 mg/ml. The antimicrobial activity of the extract could be enhanced if the components are purified. This plant therefore holds a promising potential source of new drug for treating infections caused by these clinical pathogens.