Antioxidant Activity of Fermented Traditional Medicines of Indian Ayurveda – Ashokarishta, Aswagandharishta and Dasamoolarishta

Vinothkanna Annadurai and Sekar Soundarapandian

Department of Industrial Biotechnology, Bharathidasan University, Tiruchirappalli 620024, Tamil Nadu, India.

Corresponding Author E-mail: sekarbiotech@yahoo.com

DOI : http://dx.doi.org/10.13005/bbra/2678

ABSTRACT: Ayurveda contains a variety of medicines including the polyherbal fermented traditional medicines namely Arishta and Asava. It remains as a rich source of bioactive phytochemicals including antioxidants. There are scanty publications on the antioxidant activity of these medicines. There is a need to explore the natural antioxidants to replace synthetic counterparts which requires an assessment in terms of antioxidant activity by in vitro analysis. This study employs a range of antioxidant assay systems containing various free radicals (DPPH, hydroxyl, hydrogen peroxide, super oxide, nitric oxide and ABTS), Inhibition of free radical generation (metal chelating) and H+ – donating ability (reducing power) were performed. Ashokarishta, Aswagandharishta and Dasamoolarishta exhibited higher degree of antioxidant activities but less than the corresponding standards. Based on IC50 values, the hydrogen peroxide scavenging ability of Ashokarishta is comparable to the standard L-ascorbic acid. In ABTS assay, Aswagandharishta and Dasamoolarishta are comparable to the standard Butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT). These may be due to the phytochemical heterogeneity of the samples assayed. Thus study can lead to the sourcing of Ayuvedic polyherbal fermented medicines as a novel source of natural antioxidant molecules that might be acting as free radical quencher or scavenger and to treat human ailments.

KEYWORDS: Antioxidant activity; Arishta; Ayurveda; Free radicals; Phytochemicals

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