The date palm tree (Phoenix dactylifera) is one of the oldest cultivated plants ever known; it is considered the life tree for Arabs. However, there is no adequate information about the bioactivity of the leaves. In this study, the methanol extract of leaves demonstrated the presence of some compounds with potential biomedical properties for human, such as cardiac steroids, flavonoids, phenols/polyphenols, phytosterols, quinines, saponins, tannins and resin. The results of the antimicrobial test indicate that the methanol leaf extracts of the three date palm cultivars contained potential antibacterial agents, particularly against Gram-positive bacteria and no antifungal effect can be detected on Candida albicans. The most susceptible bacteria were Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus epidermidis, Bacillus cereus and Enterococcus faecalis, respectively. The antioxidant activities of methanol extracts of different leaf cultivars were also investigated, using DPPH (2, 2-diphenyl-2-picrymhydrasyl hydrate) radical-scavenging activity assay, all extracts showed considerable antioxidant potential. The current investigation suggests that leaves of date palm can be used as a promising source of natural antibacterial and antioxidant drugs.

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