HARUNA O.

Celosia argentea, commonly known as Lagos spinach or “soko yokoto,” is widely used in traditional medicine for the treatment of various ailments such as infections, inflammation, and gastrointestinal disorders. The study investigated the phytochemical constituents and antimicrobial properties of Celosia argentea leaves, a medicinal plant widely used in traditional medicine for treating infections, inflammation and other ailments. Growing concerns over antibiotic resistance have driven research into natural sources of antimicrobial agents, particularly from plants rich in bioactive compounds. The study aimed to qualitatively determine the phytochemical components present in Celosia argentea leaves and to evaluate their antimicrobial activities against selected pathogenic bacteria including Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus subtilis, Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The leaves were collected from Benin City, air-dried, pulverized, and extracted using 50% ethanol. Standard phytochemical tests were performed to identify the presence of secondary metabolites, and antimicrobial sensitivity tests were conducted using the agar disc diffusion method. Results revealed the presence of various phytochemicals such as saponins, terpenoids, flavonoids, alkaloids, glycosides, tannins, and phenols, which are known for their pharmacological significance. However, the aqueous extract of Celosia argentea leaves exhibited weak antimicrobial activity, showing mild inhibition zones (5 mm) only at the highest concentration (1000 mg/ml) against Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli, while no activity was observed against Bacillus subtilis and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The limited antimicrobial response may be attributed to low solubility orconcentration of active compounds in water. These findings suggest that although Celosia argentea leaves contain significant bioactive components, solvent optimization and concentration adjustments are essential to enhance antimicrobial efficacy. The study concludes that Celosia argentea has promising therapeutic potential and warrants further investigation using organic solvents and advanced analytical techniques for the development of effective plant-based antimicrobial agents.