The antimicrobial and antioxidant activities of Indian gooseberry (Phyllanthus emblica Linn.) and galangal (Alpinia galanga) extracts were investigated. Two different methods (disc diffusion and agar dilution methods) were employed to evaluate the antimicrobial activities of plant extracts against Staphylococcus aureus. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) values of Indian gooseberry and galangal extracts were found to be 13.97 and 0.78mg/ml and the minimum biocidal concentration (MBC) values were 13.97 and 2.34mg/ml, respectively. The antioxidant activities of Indian gooseberry and galangal extracts, which were evaluated by the β-carotene bleaching method, were 86.4% and 70.3%, respectively. The total phenolic contents of Indian gooseberry and galangal extracts, as determined by the Folin–Ciocalteu method, were 290.4±0.7 and 40.9±0.2mg/g plant extract (in GAE), respectively. The GC–MS analysis showed that the main compounds of galangal extract are 1,8-cineole (20.95%), β-bisabolene (13.16%), β-caryophyllene (17.95%) and β-selinene (10.56%). On the other hand, the use of high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with UV detection indicated many compounds within the Indian gooseberry extract.