Volume 162, 13 March 2015, Pages 333–345
Ethnomedicinal values, phenolic contents and antioxidant properties of wild culinary vegetables
Abstract
Ethnopharmacological relevance
Traditional
medicines comprise a variety of health practices, approaches,
knowledge, and beliefs. Documentation of traditional knowledge,
estimation of total phenolics and antioxidant properties of plant
species used as wild vegetables and in traditional medicines by the
local communities of Lesser Himalayas-Pakistan are targeted.
Materials and methods
Interviews,
questionnaires, and focus group conversation with local informants were
carried out to record ethno-medicinal values. Used value, percentage of
people who have traditional knowledge, preference ranking and informant
consensus factors were also measured. Standard analytical methods were
applied to estimate phenolic contents and antioxidant properties in
water and acetone extracts.
Results
A
total of 39 plant species used as culinary vegetables and to treat 44
different health disorders are investigated. Significant levels of use
value (0.571) and preference ranking (58% PPK, PR-5) are calculated for Ficus palmata, Ficus carica and Solanum nigrum.
Elevated levels of total phenolics (144.5 mg GAE/100 g, FW), and
flavonoid contents (142.5 mg RtE/100 g, FW) were measured in the water
extracts of Origanum vulgare, while Ficus palmata exhibits the highest flavonol contents (142.7 mg RtE/100 g, FW). Maximum DPPH activity is noted in the flowering buds of Bauhinia variegata (85.34%). However, highest values for OH− radical scavenging activity (75.12%), Fe3+
reducing antioxidant power (54.50 µM GAE/100 g, FW), and total
antioxidant capacity (180.8 µM AAE/100 g, FW) were measured in the water
extracts of Origanum vulgare.
Conclusion
Lesser
Himalayas is a rich source of traditional cultural heritage, and plant
biodiversity, which are under threat and necessitate urgent
documentation. Present study is focused on the plant species used in
traditional medicines and culinary vegetables as well. Preliminary
determinations of phenoloic contents and antioxidant properties of
various plant species were carried out. Present work will introduce new
resource of medicinal and food plants, which could be used as functional
food. Furthermore, phytochemical profiles, cellular based antioxidant
properties, and isolation of active ingredients will be useful for
consumers, and in the pharmaceutical and nutraceutical industries of the
country.
Graphical abstract
Keywords
- Culinary vegetables;
- Phenolics;
- Antioxidant properties;
- Himalayas;
- Pakistan
- Corresponding
author at: School of Light Industry and Food Science, South China
University of Technology, Guangzhou 510641, China. Tel.:
+86 15521225936, +92 03009702133.
- Corresponding author at: Department of Food Science, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York 14853-7201, USA. Tel.: +1 607 255 6235; fax: +1 607 255 4868.
Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.
