Some Indian Traditional Medicinal Plants with Antioxidant Activity: A Review

Abstract

Since the beginning of human civilization, a number of Indian medicinal plants have been used in the traditional system of medicine (Ayurveda), aiming to maintain health and to cure diseases. Oxidative stress has emerged as a key role player in the pathogenesis and pathophysiology of several diseases in humans as well as in experimental animal models. As plants produce a lot of antioxidants they can represent a source of novel compounds with promising antioxidant activity. Nowadays there has been an increasing interest worldwide to identify antioxidant compounds that are pharmacologically active with less or no side effects. In the present paper six plants (Saraca indica, Lantana camara, Glycyrrhiza glabra, Vaccinium oxycoccos, Cinnamomum zeylanicum, Acacia arabica) are viewed for their historical, morphological, phytochemical, and pharmacological aspects. These plants exhibit strong antioxidant activity that can explain their uses in traditional medicines in the past as well as present.