Comparative Antioxidant Activity of Some Edible Plants

摘要

Terminalia chebula, Salvia officinalis L., Calamintha incana, Thymus vulgaris L., Matricaria chamomilla, and Nigella sativa are commonly used spices. In the present study the methanolic extracts of these spices were evaluated for their antioxidant activity by the 1,1-diphenyl-2-picryl-hydrazyl (DPPH) free radical scavenging method. All the methanolic extracts showed significant antioxidant activity. The IC50 of the methanolic extracts ranged between 3.8 ± 0.1 and 168.8 ± 2.1 mg/ml, and that of ascorbic acid was 8.6 ± 0.1 mg/ml. The study revealed that the consumption of these spices could exert several beneficial effects by virtue of their antioxidant activity.