Plants being important source of medicine play significant role in human health. Total phenolics, free radical scavenging capacity and total carotenoids of 6 medicinal plants (Peltata (Cyclea peltata), Pudina (Mentha piperita), Bon tulsi (Ocimum americanum), Kalo tulsi (Ocimum sanctum), Akanadi (Stephania japonica) and Gulancha (Tinospora cordifolia) from two botanical families growing in the Bangladesh Agricultural University botanical garden were included in the present study. Total phenolics content in six medicinal plants in experiment ranged from 340.03 (Mentha piperita) to 890.58 (Ocimum americanum) mg GAE/100g leaf fresh weight. The IC50 value for scavenging 2, 2- diphenyl-l- picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) free radicals ranged from 3.27 (O. americanum) to 57.85 (Tinospora cordifolia) mgmL-1 leaf extract in six different medicinal plants in experiment. Carotenoids were found highest in Mentha piperita leaf 0.380 mgg-1fresh weight among the six species compared in experiment. The high contents of phenolic compounds indicated that these compounds contribute to the antioxidant activity. The Ocimum americanum can be regarded as promising plant species for natural plant sources of antioxidants with high potential value for drug preparation.
Key words: Phenolic contents, antioxidant activity, Carotinoids, medicinal plants
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