Pharmacological Evaluation of Stem-Bark Extracts of Some Medicinal Plants for Their Antimicrobial and Antioxidant Properties

This study investigates the phytochemical composition, antimicrobial, and antioxidant activities of ethanolicextracts from ten medicinal plants sourced from Gerei Local Government Area, Adamawa State, Nigeria. Phy-tochemical screening was conducted using standard qualitative methods, antioxidant activities were assessedvia DPPH radical scavenging assay, and antimicrobial activities were evaluated using the disc diffusionmethod. Phytochemical analysis revealed that alkaloids, steroids, terpenoids, phenols, and flavonoids wereprevalent in most plant extracts, while resins, saponins, and other compounds showed variable presence, under-scoring the unique phytochemical profiles of each plant. Antimicrobial tests indicated that Tridax procumbensexhibited broad-spectrum inhibition against Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Staphylococcusaureus, while Prosopis africana was effective against Candida albicans, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Salmonellatyphi, and Staphylococcus aureus. In contrast, plants such as Daniella oliveri, Guiera senegalensis, Tamarindusindica, Detarium microcarpum, and Balanites aegyptiaca showed no antimicrobial activity against the testedmicroorganisms. Antioxidant assays demonstrated significant dose-dependent activity, with Daniella oliveri(93.90%), Prosopis africana (93.41%), and Guiera senegalensis (90.00%) exhibiting the highest scavengingeffects at 50 μL, comparable to ascorbic acid (99.30%). These findings highlight the potent bioactive com-pounds in these medicinal plants, supporting their traditional use in ethnomedicine due to their significantantimicrobial and antioxidant properties.