ANTIOXIDANT AND ANTIMICROBIAL ACTIVITIES OF DIFFERENT EXTRACTS OF SOME MEDICINAL HERBS CONSUMED AS TEA AND SPICES IN TURKEY

Methanol (MeOH) extracts, infusions and decoctions of eight plants were investigated for their antioxidant activity using phosphomolybdenum and 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl assays: Cassia angustifolia (Senna tea), Foeniculum vulgare (fennel), Pimpinella anisum (anise), Laurus nobilis (laurel), Tilia vulgaris (linden tea), Urtica dioica (nettle), Petroselinum crispum (parsley) and Anethum graveolens (dill). The results showed that the highest antioxidant activity was found in MeOH extract of linden. Linden MeOH extract also contained the highest amount of phenolic compound. The antimicrobial activities of MeOH extracts, infusions, decoctions and hydrosols were tested against eight bacteria and two yeasts using the agar diffusion method. Correlations between the phenolic content of each plant and the antioxidant activity were observed. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS Senna, fennel, anise, laurel, linden, nettle, parsley and dill are mostly consumed as tea and spices. Also, they are widely used as remedy against various diseases in Turkish traditional medicine. Tea, herbal infusions and plants are the major source of phenolic compounds in our diet. It is known that phenolic compounds have many biological activities such as antioxidant, free radical scavenging and antimicrobial activity. Observed activities contribute to the recent increase in research on using natural products in many areas such as food, pharmacy, alternative medicine and natural therapy.