There is growing interest in the chemical composition of plants towards discovery of more effective biotherapeutic
agents. Six bioactive compounds were evaluated from
Hibiscus sabdariffa
and
Syzygium samarangense
juice extracts. Both juices had high amounts of saponins, with
Syzygium samarangense having higher content
(4.77%) than
Hibiscus sabdariffa (1.46%). Microbial counts in the juices were in the range of 10
4 cfu ml
-1 of
ethanolic extract. The juice extracts showed significant (P≤0.05) antimicrobial activities against
Escherichia coli
,
Salmonella typhi
and
Candida albicans
, implying that the juices possess both antibacterial and antifungal
properties. The results give substantial scientific credence to the current therapeutic uses of these plants.