Methanolic extracts of leaves of
Eucalyptus camaldulensis
and
Terminalia catappa
were studied for in vitro microbial activities by agar dilution method. The phytochemical analysis of the crude extracts of the medicinal plants revealed the presence of saponin, saponin glycosides, steroid, cardiac glycoside, tannins, volatile oils, phenols and balsam (gum). The methanolic extracts of the two plants inhibited the growth of
Bacillus subtilis
and
Staphylococcus aureus
(ATCC 103207 and Clinical strain respectively) but had no inhibitory effects on
Pseudomonas aeruginosa
,
Salmonella typhi
and
Escherichia coli
.
Candida albicans
was inhibited by the crude extracts of
E. camaldulensis only. Accelerated gradient chromatography (AGC) gave fractions of the extract of
T. catappa that were more active on
Candida albicans
and
Escherichia coli than the crude extract. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of the extracts ranged from 1.25μ g/ml to 5μ g/ml. The results obtained suggest that
T. catappa and
E. camaldulensis can be used in treating diseases caused by the test organisms.
