Antioxidative activity and phytochemical investigation on a high altitude medicinal plant Dracocephalum heterophyllum Benth.

Abstract

The antioxidant activity and phytochemical investigation on Dracocephalum heterophyllum Benth. used in the traditional medicine of Ladakh was carried out. The studies on ethnomedicine keenly represent the search for new economic plants for developing modern medicines. The methanol extract was subjected to antioxidative assay using 2,2’- diphenylpicryl-1-hydrazyl (DPPH) and various biochemical tests of aqueous and chloroform extracts were performed. The results indicated that the plant was rich in tannins, flavonoids, saponins, steroids and alkaloids. The free radical scavenging and antioxidant activities may be attributed to the presence of phenolic and flavonoid compounds present in the extract. The results obtained in the present study indicate that Dracocephalum heterophyllum Benth. is a potential source of natural antioxidants.