RESUMO
The antimicrobial and phytochemical properties of four medicinal plants [Anastatica hierochuntica, Artemisia monosperma, Juniperus phoenicae and Nigella sativa] were screened. The crude alcoholic plant extracts [80% ethyl alcohol] were tested against two bacteria [Escherichia coli, Listeria monocytogenes], two yeast [Candida tropicalis, Saccharomyces cerevisiae] and two moulds [Aspergillus oryzae, Bipolaris hawayensis]. The antimicrobial activity of the alcoholic extracts was tested using two antimicrobial assay methods, i.e. disc-agar diffusion method and minimum inhibitory concentration [MIC]. The Gram-positive bacteria [Listeria monocytogenes] was more sensitive than the Gram-negative [Escherichia coli]. Anastatica hierochuntica showed the highest activity against most test organisms. The phytochemical screening of the crude alcoholic plant extracts detected tannins, sterols, terpenes, flavonoids, alkaloids, saponins, resins, phenols and glycosides in the extracts of the four plants except resins was not found in Nigella sativa. Phenols, flavonoids and saponins were found in significant amount in the extracts of plants. Saponins represented the major components in the extracts of the four plants