In Vitro Antioxidant Activity of Selected Medicinal Plants Reported in Ancient Ayurveda Traditions

Background: Free-radical can cause disruption of cell metabolism. A single free radical can damage so many molecules in our body, preventing our body from functioning properly. This molecular destruction is continually occurring in our body. Therefore, it is essential to maintain the balance, either by reducing the unnecessary oxidative stress, or by increasing the antioxidant in our body, or both. Normally, sufficient amounts of antioxidants are present in our foods, but under adverse conditions (poor quality diet, limited food supply, environmental pollution etc.) the balance can be disturbed. Objective: Certain foods contain significant quantities of potentially therapeutic antioxidants to help sustain human health and well-being. Antioxidant activity of chloroform, acetone and methanolic extracts of six medicinal plants, such as Murraya koenigii (leaves), Parkinsonia aculeata (stems), Parmelia perlata (whole lichen), Solanum surattense (aerial parts), Strychnos potatorum (seeds) and Thevetia peruviana (stem bark) was carried out. Method: DPPH (1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl) method was used to identify the antioxidant activity. Conclusion: After the DPPH inhibition, it was evaluated that the methanolic extract of Parkinsonia aculeate (stems), Parmelia perlata (whole part of lichen) and Solanum surattense (aerial parts) indicated better antioxidant activity rather than their acetone and chloroform extracts. This might be due to the presence of more active antioxidant compounds in methanolic extract.