The antibacterial activity and some trace elemental compositions of the extracts of Pilistigma thonningii, a widely used ethnomedicinal tree in Minna, Nigeria.

Abstract

The study on antibacterial activity of the extracts of the leaf, stem bark and roots of Piliostigma thonningii (Schum) Milne-Redh (Ceasapinaceae) (an underexploited plant in Nigeria) at 25 mg/cm3 each using agar diffusion method, was carried out. The samples were collected from Gidan Kwano Campus of Federal University of Technology, Minna (North Central Nigeria). The extracts of these parts exhibited appreciable activities against the test organisms: Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus subtilis, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Streptococcus pyogene, Proteus vulgaris, Salmonella typhi and Escherichia coli. The results obtained in this study corroborated the local medicinal applications of the plant by traditional practitioners in this part of the country.