This study focuses on Tamarindus indica, a plant belonging to family Fabaceae commonly found in Nigeria and the Asian continent, and explores the potential comparative antibacterial activity of its aqueous and ethanolic stem barks against Staphylococcus aureus, a Gram-positive bacterium. The stem barks of Tamarindus indica were obtained from a live Tamarind tree located at Bayero university Kano, old campus, was dried under shade away from direct sunlight in the laboratory, pounded to fine powder using mortar and pestle and extracted through maceration method using distilled water and ethanol solvents. Phytochemical analysis was carried out following standard procedures and it revealed the presence of alkaloids, flavonoids, tannins, saponins, phenols, terpenoids, steroids, glycosides, and carbohydrates in the extracts. Agar well diffusion method was employed to assess the antibacterial activity. The results showed the aqueous extracts exhibited bigger zones of inhibition compared to the ethanol extracts. Furthermore, the lowest MIC was 15.625 mg/ml for ethanolic Stem bark extract revealing how effective the stem bark ethanol extracts were in combating the bacteria. The study demonstrated that Tamarindus indica stem barks possesses antibacterial properties which may be attributed to the presence of bioactive compounds such as alkaloids, flavonoids, tannins, and phenols and highlights the potential of Tamarindus indica as an affordable and accessible natural remedy against Staphylococcus aureus infections and diseases.
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