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In the present review article, the phytochemical, antioxidant and pharmacological studies are congregated and summarized concerning the current knowledge of the phenolic compounds of a traditional medical plant Acacia confusa in Taiwan. This plant is native to Taiwan and South-East Asia. It possesses major pharmacological activities, including antioxidant and radical scavenging activity, hepatoprotective effect, xanthine oxidase inhibition, semicarbazide-sensitive amine oxidase inhibition, angiotensin I converting enzyme inhibition, antihyperuricemic effect and anti-inflammatory activity. Phenolic compounds, especially flavonoids, flavonol glycoside and phenolic acid derivatives, are the main phytochemical compounds isolated from different plant parts of A. confusa. Recent interest in this species has focused on pharmacological investigations of the phytochemicals which exhibit potent antioxidant activity based on the multiple phenolic functionalities. The consequence of this review will further extend the potential applications of this plant and offer persuasive support to its future use in the fields of clinical medicine and health functional food.

Acacia confusa Merr. (Leguminosae), a species native to Taiwan, is widely distributed on the hills and lowlands of Taiwan, and has been used in traditional medicines. In this study, the application of ultrasound-assisted extraction was used to extract the phenolic compounds from A. confusa flowers and buds for the first time. Among the extraction methods, it can significantly enhance the contents of phenolic compounds and antioxidant activities in A. confusa flower and bud extracts using ultrasound-assisted extraction (10  min×12 times). Considering both the solvent consumption and the time needed for extraction, ultrasound-assisted extraction was found to be the most practical approach for the rapid and efficient extraction of bioactive phenolic constituents. In addition, gallic acid, myricitrin-3-rhamnoside, quercitrin-3-rhamnoside, europetin-3-rhamnoside, kaempferol-3-rhamnoside, rhamnetin-3-glucoside, and rhamnetin-3-rhamnoside were also quantified in different extracts by RP-HPLC. It is clear that ultrasound-assisted extraction is an efficient method for extracting phenolic compounds from A. confusa flowers and buds.

Barringtonia racemosa is a nocturnal flowering plant. Information on its floral volatiles and the dynamic emission profiles was very limited. In this study, the floral volatiles of B. racemosa were monitored hourly during its florescence via detached and in situ collection for the first time. The dynamic odor activity value (OAV) was calculated to elucidate the active aroma components of floral scent. Results of compositional analyses showed that the predominant floral volatiles were linalool and phenylacetaldehyde. Their emission started around 8:00 p.m., and the peak emissions were 20541 and 18234 ng h(-1) flower(-1), respectively, during 10:00 p.m.-2:00 a.m. Results from dynamic OAV profiling revealed that linalool (409 min(-1)) and phenylacetaldehyde (547 min(-1)) had higher OAVs than other components (<10 min(-1)), indicating that linalool and phenylacetaldehyde contributed mainly to the floral scent with a strong, sweet, and pleasant aroma.