Determination of Phytochemical and Antibacterial Properties of the Leaf and Seed Extracts of Senna occidentalis (L.)

Senna occidentalis is widely used by herbalists in northern Nigeria for the treatment of microbial diseases. This study determined the phytochemical constituents and antibacterial activities of aqueous extracts of the leaf and seed of S. occidentalis against some selected clinical pathogens. The Leaf and seed were reduced to powder and extracted by maceration using sterile distilled water. Extracts were concentrated using rotary evaporator and freeze drier. Phytochemical screening was conducted using standard methods while antibacterial activities were determined using the agar well diffusion method. The diameter of the zones of inhibition of bacterial growth was assessed as an index for antibacterial properties of the extracts against the selected bacteria. The phytochemical screening of the leaf and seed revealed the presence of flavonoids (33 % and 22 %), alkaloids (3.6% and 6%), saponins (1.2 % and 2.1 %), phenols (0.036 mg/mL and 0.042 mg/mL) and glycosides (2.68 mg/mL and 2.02 mg/mL) respectively, while steroids and tannins were absent in both. Both leaf and seed extracts exhibited significant (p