Free radical scavenging activity of Shirishavaleha â?? A Poly Herbal Ayurvedic formulation

Abstract

Harmeet Kaur, Galib Ruknuddin, Pradeep Kumar Prajapati

Objective: Synthetic antioxidants such as butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT) and butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA) have recently been reported to be hazardous to human health. Thus, the search for effective, nontoxic natural compounds with antioxidative activity has been intensified in recent years. The current attempt aimed to determine the antioxidant activity of two samples of Shirishavaleha, one prepared with water and the other with Kanji as liquid media, using 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and lipid peroxidation (LPO) assay. Methods: Batches of Shirishavaleha with water and Kanji were prepared by following standard manufacturing procedures. Quercetin (2 mg/ml) and butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA, 0.8 mg/ml) were used as standard drugs for DPPH and LPO, respectively. Results: Both the drugs were found to possess DPPH radical and LPO scavenging activity, comparatively higher degrees in the sample prepared with Kanji. Conclusion: Based on the observations; it can be concluded that both the samples possesses significant antioxidant activities which may open their way for being used as potential natural antioxidants.