Antioxidant potential of Bulgarian yarrow and thyme

Abstract

Phenols (sometimes called phenolics) are synthesized by plants for their general defense and particularly in response to antioxidative stress. These biologically active compounds are well known to have beneficial effects on human health. The aim of the present study was to apply a fast in vitro approach to compare the antioxidant potential of yarrow (Achillea millefolium L.) and thyme (Thymus vulgaris L.) that were freshly collected from their natural habitat in the Rodopi Mts with some randomly selected herbs for infusion from traders in Sofia region. Ethanol extracts from yarrow and thyme plants were compared with an extract from the Chinese white tea {Camellia sinensis (L.) Kuntze) used for infusion and known for its high phenolic content with antioxidant effect. The total quantity of phenols in both studied herbs varied in a close range but was 5-8 times lower than this in the white tea. The average antioxidant activity in thyme was slightly higher than in yarrow but was nearly four times lower in comparison to their activity in the white tea. Slight variations between the herbs from the Rodopi Mts and Sofia were found in the phenolic content of yarrow and thyme, and in the antioxidant activity of thyme. Significant positive correlation between the content of phenolic and antioxidant activity was observed in white tea and thyme, but not in yarrow but our in vitro approach would need to be confirmed by further in vivo analyses. Our results show that the genotype, habitat and storage conditions could influence the plant antioxidant potential and that it is likely that the Bulgarian herbs contain additional classes of metabolites which determine distinct biological activities.

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