Phytother Res. 2002 Dec; 16(8): 771-3.

Antioxidant properties of Indian medicinal plants.

Jadhav HR, Bhutani KK.

Department of Natural Products, National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research (NIPER), Sector 67, S. A. S. Nagar - 160 062 Punjab, India.

The antioxidant properties of methanol extracts of 12 Indian medicinal plants, traditionally used in disease areas that probably involve free radical mechanisms, were evaluated by two methods, namely the DPPH (1,1-diphenyl-2-picryl hydrazyl) test and the lipid peroxidation assay. In the latter assay, seven of these extracts showed 90% or more activity compared with the standard, vitamin E and hence were studied in detail after the removal of interfering pigments. The selective pigment removal from the extracts led to an increase in free radical scavenging activity and a decrease in inhibition of lipid peroxidation.Copyright 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.