Advances in Life Sciences 2016, 6(1): 7-12 DOI: 10.5923/j.als.20160601.02 The Medicinal Prospects of Makahiya (Mimosa Pudica Linn) Plant Susana P. Racadio University of Northern Philippines, Vigan City, Philippines Abstract The purpose of the current investigation is to determine the medicinal prospects of the plant Mimosa pudica Linn. To accomplish this goal, the researcher qualitatively determined the phytochemicals present in the plant. The potency of the plant extract to inhibit the growth of three strains of microorganisms namely Staphyloccusaureus, Bacillus subtilis and Candida albicans was analysed. The antioxidant property of the plant was also qualitatively determined. Based on the results of this study conducted on makahiya (Mimosa pudica Linn) plant, it was found out that 1) Makahiya extract contains the phytochemicals alkaloids, flavonoids, saponins and triterpenes; 2) Makahiya plant extract has strong antimicrobial activity against Staphylococcus aureus and Bacillus subtilis but has negative activity against Candida albicans; and 3)Makahiya extract exhibits antioxidant property. It is therefore concluded that Makahiya (Mimosa pudica Linn) plant has pharmaceutical potentials due to the presence of phytochemicals like alkaloids, flavonoids, saponins and triterpenes, its great microbial activity against Staphylococcus aureus and Bacillus subtilis and the antioxidant property it exhibited. Keywords Medicinal prospects, Makahiya (Mimosa pudica Linn), Phytochemicals, antimicrobial analysis, Antioxidant, Philippines 1. Introduction Since time immemorial, people had been using herbal medicines. With the advent of modern medicine and the development of new drugs, people had switched to the use of commercial medicines. These medicines had been manufactured from the flora and fauna that abound. However, the availability and abundance of some of these sources had declined due to some natural and anthropogenic factors like deforestation. So, in developing a new medicine, the abundance of the plant or the animal from where it is extracted should be considered. In addition to this, there are still a lot of people who rely on alternative medicine because of the escalating prices of medicine. In the Philippines, many people still resort to herbal medicine. In the ancient and medieval times, almost all medicines came from plants. Plants were used to ease pain, heal wounds and cure fever. Today, a lot of people still rely on medicinal plants to meet the medicinal needs of a population (Fuller, 1970). The Philippines is endowed with many different flora and fauna which have medicinal potentials. In the Philippines, specifically in Ilocos Sur, a plant called makahiya, having a * Corresponding author: racadio.susana@yahoo.com (Susana P. Racadio) Published online at http://journal.sapub.org/als Copyright © 2016 Scientific & Academic Publishing. All Rights Reserved scientific name of Mimosa pudica Linn.isvery common and abundant. This plant is just regarded as a menace in gardens, hence being uprooted and discarded. Makahiya thrives in any kind of soil even without receiving special care. When the plant is still young, its stem is erect but as the plant grows with age, the stem becomes creeping or trailing. The stem is slender, branching and sparsely to densely prickly, growing to a length of 1.5 meter. The leaves are bipinnately compound, with one or two pinnae pairs having 10-26 leaflets per pinna. The petioles are also prickly. Pediculate (stalked) pale pink or purple flower heads arise from the leaf axils. The globes are 8-10 mm in diameter (excluding the stamens. On close examination, it is seen that the floret petals are red in their upper part and the filaments are pink to lavender. The fruits consist of 2-8 pods from 1-2 cm long each. The flowers are pollinated by the wind and insects. Since this plant is very common in the researcher’s area, this aroused her interest to make a study on the medicinal prospects of this plant. Hence, in this study, the phytochemical screening and the antimicrobial properties were conducted in the hope that the initial findings of this study will serve as a basis for future investigations on the medicinal prospects of this plantmakahiya and for the discovery of new therapeutic agents from this plant. 2. Objective The purpose of the current investigation is to determine the medicinal prospects of the plant Mimosapudica Linn. To