COMPARATIVE ANTIOXIDANT ACTIVITY OF HYDROALCOHOLIC EXTRACT OF ROOTS OF DACTYLORHIZA HATAGIREA AND AERIAL PART OF LAVANDULA STOECHAS

Abstract

Plants have served human beings as a natural source for treatments and therapies from ancient times, amongst them medicinal herbs have gain attention because of its wide use and less side effects. In the recent years plant research has increased throughout the world and a huge amount of evidences have been collected to show immense potential of medicinal plants used in various traditional systems. Dactylorhiza hatagirea (D.Don) Soo (D. hatagirea, Orchidaceae) is native and near endemic to Indian Himalayan region. Its distribution extends to Pakistan, Afghanistan, Nepal, Tibet and Bhutan. In India, it is reported from Jammu and Kashmir, Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh. Root paste is externally applied as poultice on cuts and wounds and extract is given in intestinal disorders. Lavandula stoechas (L. stoechas Lamiaceae), the Spanish lavender or topped lavender or French lavender is a species of flowering plant occurring naturally in several Mediterranean countries, including France, Spain, Portugal, Italy and Greece. It is used commercially in air fresheners and insecticides. Flower spikes have been used internally for headaches, irritability, feverish colds and nausea and externally for wounds, rheumatic pain, antiseptic, digestive, antispasmodic, healing, insect repellent and antibacterial. The aim of the present study was to evaluate in vitro antioxidant activities of roots of D. hatagirea and aerial part of L. stoechas collected from Bhopal region of Madhya Pradesh. The in vitro antioxidant activity of hydroalcoholic extract of the roots and aerial part was assessed against DPPH, hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) and nitric oxide (NO) radical scavenging assay methods using standard protocols. The activities of hydroalcoholic extracts against DPPH, H2O2 and NO assay method were concentration dependent. D. hatagirea extract showed higher antioxidant activity than L. stoechas extract but less than ascorbic acid in all three models. The diverse array of phytochemicals present in the plant thus suggests its therapeutic potentials which may be explored in drug manufacturing industry as well as in traditional medicine.