Mimosa pudica plant leaves were collected from Thanjavur District, Tamil Nadu, India. They were air-dried and ground and their phytochemical composition determined. The analysis demonstrated the presence of tannin, phlobatannins, saponin, steroids, terpenoids and the cardiac glycosidem, while no flavonoids were found. Thirteen phytochemical compounds were identified by GC-MS analysis, most of which are known to possess a variety of medicinal properties. A soxhlet apparatus was used to extract antibacterial active compounds from the powdered plant leaves and the antimicrobial activity of the extract were analyzed against some human pathogenic bacteria. Acetone and ethanol extracts were found to be the most active. Compared to other test plant-extracts aqueous extracts however, exhibited only limited inhibition against the tested organisms. The findings will hopefully be useful in helping to develop new and effective antimicrobial agents.