Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is growing faster than ever and threatens the curative effect of antibiotics, so there is an urgent need for alternative sources of antimicrobials. Plants used in folkloric medicine are a rich source of bioactive natural products with antibacterial activities. The present work was aimed to investigate the in vitro antimicrobial activity of aqueous extracts of Randia aculeata, Ixora coccinea, Capsella bursa-pastoris and Portulaca oleracea with four pathogenic bacteria, Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Serratia marcescens. The samples were then boiled and extracts made in saline, which were assayed by agar well diffusion. Among all, Ixora coccinea possessed the greatest broad-spectrum activity that produced inhibition zones of 24–27 mm against all recorded tested pathogens. Portulaca oleracea and stem extract exhibit activity against E. coli (22 mm) only, Randia aculeata have poor inhibition to E. coli (23 mm). There was no apparent antibacterial activity of Capsella bursa-pastoris. The present study establishes Ixora coccinea as an excellent natural antibacterial agent and confirms the need for conducting studies of plant-derived antimicrobials.
