Antioxidant activity and total phenolic contents of eight umbelliferae herbs

Aim. Identification of antioxidant activity and total phenolic contents of eight species of Umbelliferae herbs including Angelica dahurica, Ligusticum chuanxiong, Ligusticum sinensis, Ledebouriella seseloides, Angelica sinensis, Notopterygium Cnidium officinale and Cnidium monnieri. Methods. DPPH and ABTS methods are used to analyze the radical scavenging activity. Folin-Denis method was used to identify the total phenolic content in eight experimental species. Results. From the above analysis the highest total phenolic contents were found in N. incisum (154.2 +/- 22.6 mg CE/g dry weight). The ethyl acetate extracts obtained from A. sinensis and N. incisum showed higher DPPH (1,1-Diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl radical 2,2-Diphenyl-1-(2,4,6-trinitrophenyl)hydrazyl) radical scavenging activity and ABTS (2,2'-Azinobis-(3-ethylbenzthiazoline-6-sulphonate)) radical scavenging activity. Conclusion. The ethyl acetate extract will enrich the total phenolic content and radical scavenging activities from the experimental species, and they may be used as cosmetic additives such as a natural antioxidant.