Phytochemical Screening, Antioxidant and Antimicrobial Activities of the Stem Extracts of Woolly Bush (Adenanthos sericeus)

Preliminary phytochemical screening of various extracts of the stem of adenanthos sericeus were carried out in this work. the results obtained revealed some differences in the constituent of the aqueous, n-hexane, acetone and methanol extracts tested. saponins, resins, anthraquinones, glycoside, alkaloids, tannins, flavonoids, steroids, phenols and terpenoid at varying proportion were detected. the free radical scavenging activity carried out using hydrogen peroxide scavenging activity to determine the antioxidant activity reveals a great antioxidant potential in adenanthos sericeus. also, the antimicrobial activities carried out using the following organisms; bacillus cereus, staphylococcus aureus, eschericia coli, salmonella. the results obtained shows the stem extracts of adenanthos sericeus has proven to have an interesting pharmacological active compounds with great radical scavenging and antimicrobial effects. as such could be used in ethnomedicine for treatment of infections and ailments.