Abstract:

Medicinal plants have assumed the basis of traditional treatment and have proven effective in human health care worldwide. There is an increasing interest in complementary and alternative therapies to treat various illnesses. The continued consumption of antibiotics with little or no impact on bacteria has negatively affected health care delivery. Bitter leaf (Vernonia amygdalina) is a common shrub belonging to the family Asteraceae and a perennial shrub usually cultivated as a homestead vegetable and fodder tree in various parts of Nigeria. The current study examined the effect of bitter leafs phytochemical constituents and antimicrobial activity on Candida albicans, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Staphylococcus aureus. The result of the phytochemical analysis performed on the root and stem bark of V. amygdalina revealed the presence of alkaloids, steroids, tannin, flavonoids, saponins, and phenol. However, the investigation revealed that tannins and phenol were mainly deposited in the plants stem bark. Also, the antimicrobial analysis conducted showed that S. aureus was more vulnerable to the ethanol, acetone, and hot aqueous extracts of V. amygdalina. At the same time. Albicans and P. aeruginosa showed sensitivity on exposure to ethanol and acetone but did not react to the hot aqueous extracts. The study concludes that the observed biological reactions indicated in the aqueous extracts of V. amygdalina validate the traditional application of this plant as an alternative antibiotic. 

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