Thirty-two plants species belonging to 22 families commonly used in Saudi folk medicine were subjected to phytochemical and antimicrobial screening. The results showed that sterols/triterpenes, flavonoids and tannins were the most common constituents. Volatile oils, volatile bases, coumarins, anthraquinones and cardiac glycosides were also detected. A variable range of antimicrobial activity was observed by the extracts and MIC's were determined wherever activity was noticed.