Superficial fungal infections are generally more prevalent in tropical environments because of the enhancement of their growth by the high temperatures and high humidity conditions prevalent in these regions. The aim of this study is to investigate the antifungal potency of herbal ointments formulated with aqueous extract of Cassia alata. The in vitro antifungal activity of crude extract of leaves of Cassia alata as well as herbal ointments were determined against Candida albicans, Trichophyton mentagrophyte, Aspergillus niger and Penicillium using the Agar cup plate method. Herbal ointments were prepared by incorporating the crude extract of Cassia alata (10 % w/w) into ointment bases and evaluated for their in vitro antifungal efficacy. The crude extract showed moderate antifungal activity against Candida albicans, Trichophyton mentagrophyte and Aspergillus niger with zones of inhibition of 23 mm, 21 mm and 19 mm respectively at 200 mg/ml but no activity against Penicillium. The antifungal activity was retained in the herbal ointments with higher zones of inhibition for corresponding concentrations. The formulation containing Cassia alata extract in aqueous cream showed comparatively better antifungal activity. The herbal ointment also compared favourably with a commercial brand of Miconazole cream used as standard. This study shows that Cassia alata possesses antifungal activity and also has high potential as antifungal agent when formulated as ointment for topical use and could therefore explain the successes claimed in the folk use of the plant in the treatment of common skin conditions, hence the need to have herbal topical dosage forms.