Abstract

Traditional medicinal plant, Withania somnifera, Eclipta prostrata and Gossypium herbasceum were analyzed for reducing power ability as an antioxidant using the 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) assay and for total phenolics using the Folin-Ciocalteu method. The results of the analysis show that W. somnifera, E. prostrate and G. herbascium have percentage antioxidant activity (AA%) of 98.12±0.50, 96.45±0.45 and 90.62±0.35 respectively. W. somniferam and E. prostrate show higher while Gossypium herbasceum less activity than those of Gallic (92.92±0.55) and Ascorbic acids (94.81±0.56) used as standards. W. somnifera, E. prostrata and G. herbascium also show high reductive potential of 0.99, 0.94 and 0.90nm at the same concentration with Gallic acid whose reductive potential was 0.93nm. The total phenolic determination shows that W. somnifera, E. prostrate and G. herbascium have the phenolic content of 14, 12 and 11mg/g GAE respectively. The results of this analysis reveal the fact that plants are rich sources of natural antioxidant.