Antibacterial and phytochemical screening of crude ethanolic extracts of Waltheria indica Linn.

The antibacterial activity and phytochemical properties of Waltheria indica Linn. was investigated, the result obtained showed that the ethanol extracts from the roots, stem and leaves were active against both Gram-positive and Gram-negative organisms. The qualitative phytochemical screening of these different parts indicated the presence of saponins, alkaloids, anthraquinones, flavonoids, tannins, phenols and cardiac glycosides at varied degrees. All the extracts showed antibacterial activities against both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. The highest antibacterial activity was obtained from the root extract, followed by the stem extract while the leaf extract was the least. The susceptibility of the different strains of Enterobacteriaceae to each extract varied with different parts investigated. This study indicated the potential efficacy of the Waltheria indica Linn. in the treatment of infections caused by the test organisms.   Key words: Phytochemical screening, enterobacteriacea, phytochemicals, antibacterial activities, Waltheria indica extracts.