Evaluation of the antioxidant activity in Thai herbs

Abstract

The objective of this study was to appraise and investigate the antioxidant properties of fifteen Thai herbal plants. Samples were extracted by 95% ethanol and then diluted to 2% concentration. All samples were evaluated by three techniques as 1) 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging capacity assay, 2) ferric ion reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) assay, and 3) total phenolic compound analysis by Folin’s method. Results showed that percentage antioxidant index in hairy basal was 68.16%, with lemongrass 67.68% and holy basil 67.50%. The FRAP value of Siamese neem tree was highest at 788.69 mM Fe2+/mg, while amount of phenolic compound in Siamese neem tree was highest at 228.36 mgGAE/g. When analyzed with one-way ANOVA, the result was statistically significant at the 0.05 level.

Keywords

• antioxidant
• siamese neem tree
• hairy basal