Antioxidant Activity, Total Phenolic, Tannin, and Flavonoid Content of Five Plants Used in Traditional Medicine in Penjamo, Guanajuato

Abstract

In Mexico, plants are commonly used to alleviate various ailments, including controlling some chronic degenerative diseases through the regular consumption of decoctions, infusions, and teas. However, there is little scientific evidence consolidating traditional medicine within health systems. Therefore, this work determined the phytochemical profile of the most used plants to treat various ailments (Cedro rojo, Cancerina, Ortiguilla, Hierba de la golondrina, Hierba de arlomo) and their general consumption as infusions. Aqueous and ethanolic extracts were generated, while the phytochemical compound content in the extracts obtained was quantified. The results indicate that the ethanolic extracts showed the highest phenolic compound and tannin content, with the highest contents for Cedro rojo (831.04 mg L À 1 ) and Cancerina (864.80 mg L À 1 ). The antioxidant activity was also determined, and a significant difference was observed (p < 0.05). The extracts with the highest antioxidant capacity were the ethanolic extracts ranging from 250 to 907 μMET mL À 1 , while the aqueous extracts ranged from 112 to 390 μMET mL À 1 . The compounds identified by high-performance liquid chromatography characterization on the aqueous extracts highlighted the presence of chlorogenic acid > cinnamic acid > quercetin. In ethanolic extracts, the presence of chlorogenic acid > cinnamic acid > quercetin > gallic acid > ferulic acid > coumaric acid was highlighted. The correlation between bioactive compounds, type of extract, and antioxidant activity suggests a significant affinity of these phytochemical compounds for the ethanol solvent. The results indicate that these plants are good sources of antioxidant phenolics and can be incorporated for use as functional beverages. However, more studies are needed to corroborate their beneficial effect.