Determination of the Phytochemical, Antioxidant, and Antimicrobial Properties of $Smilax$ $excelsa$ L. Extracted with Different Solvents

$Smilax$ $excelsa$ L., an edible wild plant whose leaves and shoots are frequently consumed in the daily diet and used to treat various diseases in traditional medicine, grows in certain regions of Türkiye, especially in the Black Sea Region. This study aims to determine the phytochemical properties, antioxidant and antimicrobial activities of $S.$ $excelsa$ with different solvents. In this study, the shoots of $S.$ $excelsa$ were extracted with water, 70% ethanol, and 80% methanol solvents and an ultrasound-assisted extraction method was used. It was found that the total phenolic contents of the extracts obtained from the plant were higher in the ethanol (75.09 mg/g) and methanol (74.72 mg/g) extracts compared to the water extract (49.62 mg/g). While the water extract had the highest amount of flavonoids (22.96 mg/g), the 80% methanol extract had the highest amount of total anthocyanins (0.52 mg/g). The efficacy of the extracts against various pathogens was also investigated. It was determined that in the Petri dish in which $Enterococcus$ $faecalis$ ATCC 29212 pathogen was cultivated, a clear zone was formed around the disc into which only the water extract was impregnated. The zone diameter was 2.10 ± 0.08 cm. As a result of the study, it can be said that especially the ethanol and methanol extracts were effective in terms of both the phytochemical properties and antioxidant activities and therefore they exhibited high antioxidant properties.