BackgroundThe research has looked into the potential of plant extracts as natural corrosion inhibitors as an alternative to synthetic ones. The study aims to investigate the ability of the weed plant Pouzolzia zeylanica L. extract (PZE) to prevent corrosion of stainless steel-410 in a 0.5 M HCl acidic medium. MethodIn this work, the leaf extract of PZE is prepared in water, and the functional activity of the prepared PZ water extract (PZE)is evaluated using various techniques. Both electrochemical and gravimetric techniques are employed in this study. The inhibitor from PZ inhibits the anodic region on the SS-410 surface active sites through straightforward adsorption. Experimental techniques such as UV–visible spectroscopy, FTIR, LC-MS, SEM, AFM, EDX, EIS, and computational studies demonstrate the formation of protective layers under inhibiting conditions. The gravimetric data confirms monolayer adsorption, following the Langmuir adsorption isotherm. Significant findingsThe data obtained demonstrate that when SS-410 is immersed directly in a corrosive solution containing dissolved inhibitor molecules, it effectively prevents corrosion. Therefore, increasing the concentration of this chemical improves its inhibitory efficiency. Indeed, the PZ inhibitor achieved a favourable experimental outcome with an efficacy of 95 % at 400 mg/L in 0.5 M HCl. Based on polarization analysis, the corrosion inhibitor exhibits anodic nature for SS-410 in 0.5 M HCl.