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Methanolic extract of the leaves of Ocimum gratissium (scent leaves) was screened for its phytochemical and antibacterial properties on some clinical bacterial isolates, visa vie as Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Proteus mirabilis and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The agar diffusion technique was used to assay the growth inhibition against the four bacterial isolates. The antibacterial effect of the methanolic extract of Ocimum gratissium was compared to that of some selected commercially available antibiotics. The inhibitory effect of the methanolic extract was comparable at all concentrations tested to the commercially available antibiotics indicating the high potency of the methanolic extract O. gratissium. Results obtained showed, the extract inhibits the growth of the test isolates with diameter of zones of inhibition of 5mm to 10mm for P. aeruginosa, P. mirabilis, E. coli and S. aureus respectively. The Broth microdilution assay gave minimal inhibitory concentration values ranging from 13.5μg/ml to 15.0μg/ml. The result of the phytochemical analysis of the dried leaves extracts revealed the presence of alkaloids, carbohydrate and saponins. Keywords: Herbalism, Phytochemicals, Scent, Benin

Tapinanthus bangwensis (Mistletoe) is a parasitic plant grown on citrus plant and a variety of other plants, used by most communities in Nigeria for the treatment and management of ailments such as diabetics, blood pressure, asthma, epilepsy, cancer of the ovary and breast and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). The study was aimed at investigating the antibacterial properties and the phytochemical constituents of the leaves extract. Crude extract of Tapinanthus bangwensis leaves were screened for its antibacterial and phytochemical properties on Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Proteus mirabilis and Klebsiella pneumonia. The results showed that the extract at varying concentrations has antibacterial activity on the test organisms. The extract inhibited the growth of the bacterial isolates in a concentration dependent manner with MICs (minimum inhibitory concentration) ranging from 10 – 50mg/ml. Partial purification (Thin Layer Chromatography) of the crude extract revealed five (5) components. Characteristics of these components were viewed by Infrared and UV/VIS spectrophotometer showing the presence of alkaloid, saponin, tannin, steroid and flavonoid. The observed antibacterial activity was believed to be due to the presence of the phytochemical constituents. Keywords: Herbalism, Loranthanceae, Phytochemicals, Test organisms