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Erica species (Ericaceae) are widely used due to their medicinal properties in Turkish folk medicine. In this study, the antioxidant capacities of the extracts with different polarities of the aerial parts of Erica arborea, E. manipuliflora, E. bocquetii and E. sicula subsp. libanotica native to Turkey were investigated. 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH •) radical scavenging and the thiobarbituric acid (TBA) test systems used for the determination of antioxidant capacities. Also, total phenol contents in the extracts were determined as spectrophotometric. All extracts exhibited strong scavenging activity against DPPH except the chloroform extracts. Ethyl acetate extracts of Erica species had the best scavenging activity against DPPH, as well as the highest DPPH scavenging activity was exhibited by E. manipuliflora and E. bocquetii with IC50 values of 0.002±0.001 and 0.004±0.000 µg/mL, respectively. In TBA test, the highest activity was observed in the ethyl acetate extract of E. manipuliflora (IC50= 0.001±0.000 µg/mL), followed by the water extract of this plant (0.03± 0.005 µg/mL). The highest total phenolic content was found in the ethyl acetate extracts ranging from 875.5 to 701.7 mg GAE/g extract. Our results showed that the ethyl acetate extracts of Erica taxa are rich in natural antioxidant substances.

Background: There are most studies on the antioxidant activity of Ribes nigrum and R. rubrum; however, this activity has been restricted on the other species. In the present study, the phenolic contents and antioxidant activities of different extracts prepared with methanol (MeOH), dichloromethane (DCM), ethyl acetate (EtOAc), n-buthanol (BuOH) and water from the leaf and branch of Ribes alpinum,

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Persea americana Mill. (Lauraceae) originated in Central and Southern of South America, is an evergreen tree. The tree is commonly known as avocado. Avocado is cultivated in all tropical and subtropical regions in the world. This tree has been usually grown in the southern coastal region of Turkey due to its commercial importance. Its fruit is a drupe which consumed as food. Except this, the leaves are widely used for pass kidney stone and against the urinary tract infections as therapeutic among the people in Turkey and Cyprus.The present study, 13 different samples from 5 diverse cities (Ankara, Hatay, İstanbul, Kayseri and Aydın) were purchased. The sample to be used as standard was obtained from the culture form (Dörtyol, Hatay). The morphological properties of leaves, which are part of the plant used as a drug, were determined both in the standard sample and in the purchased samples. Anatomical features of cross and surface sections from standard avocado leaves with cross sections from the petiole of natural avocado leaves were investigated and determined. Besides, the distinctive anatomical structures of the powdered samples (standard sample and samples purchased from the market) were demonstrated. The avocado leaf is bifacial. The hairs are only located the lower surface of the leaf and mostly unicellular. Secretory cells and crytals were observed in the avocado leaf and petiole. Crystals are simple in various sizes and small raphids. The stomata confined to the lower surface and anomocytic type (3-6 subsidiary cells). In cross section taken from the petiole, the hairs were observed to be gathered on the upper surface of the petiole.