PHYTOCHEMICAL SCREENING AND ANTIBACTERIAL ACTIVITY OF COCHLOSPERMUM PLANCHONI (RAWAYA) STEM BARK EXTRACT AGAINST SOME CLINICAL BACTERIAL ISOLATE

Despite significant advancements in modern medicine, microbial diseases persist as substantial global threats (Cos et al., 2006). Acknowledging this, the World Health Organization emphasizes herbal medicine as a primary healthcare modality in numerous developing nations (WHO, 2001). Globally, approximately 80% of the population relies on medicinal plants for disease treatment, with a more pronounced prevalence in African nations (WHO, 2001). Plants are vital resources for drug discovery due to their extensive historical use in traditional medicine (Fabricant et al., 2001). The Food and Agriculture Organization report indicates that at least 25% of pharmaceutical drugs in modern pharmacopoeia are plant-derived, with numerous others being synthetic analogues derived from plant prototype compounds (FAO, 2000). Throughout history, natural products from plants have served as medicine (Cowan, 1999; Bolla et al.,2011) displaying a diverse array of bioactive compounds effective against various infectious agents (Chitravadivu et al., 2009). Vital methods for assessing bioactive properties and identifying compounds from plant extracts include antibacterial activity testing and phytochemical screening (Ahmad et al., 2007; Edeoga et al., 2005).