Background: The leaves of Sesbania grandiflora have been used in local traditional medicine since ancient times. In the present study we investigated, in vivo and in vitro, the potential health benefits of various fractions of the ethanolic extract of these leaves. Materials and methods: Crude ethanolic extract (CEE) of S. grandiflora leaves was partitioned into ethyl acetate soluble fraction (EASF), petroleum ether soluble fraction (PSF), carbon tetrachloride soluble fraction (CTSF), chloroform soluble fraction (CSF), and water soluble fraction (WSF). The extracts were evaluated for their thrombolytic, membrane stabilizing (anti-inflammatory), antimicrobial, and antidiarrheal activities. The results were compared to the effects of standard drugs: streptokinase for the thrombolytic, acetylsalicylic acid (ASA) for the membrane stabilizing, kanamycin for antimicrobial, and loperamide for the antidiarrheal activities. Results: For thrombolysis, EASF showed the highest % of clot lysis (59.6%) among