LAUSR

Traditionally plants have been used by humans for treating various ailments and is still being used directly or indirectly as supplements.1 Until the development of synthetic drugs, plants have been used for treating almost all diseases. Various studies have reported plants to have medicinal properties such as antimicrobial, pain relief, antibiotics, anti-inflammatory, antioxidants, anticancer etc. Oxidative stress is one among the major factors involved in the rise of degenerative diseases. Recently, interest has increased substantially in finding natural antioxidants for medicinal values and to substitute synthetic antioxidants, which has its limitations of reported carcinogenic effects.2-5 Oxidative stress and generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) damages the cell and has been identified to cause extensive damage in tissues leading to various chronic diseases, various degenerative disorders, ageing, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, Alzheimer’s disease, cancer etc.6-11 Oxidative stress also has the ability to cause undesirable effects on food, making it unfit for consumption. Phenolic acid and flavonoids are secondary metabolites of plants which have been excessively studied for their antioxidant and anticancer activities. Various studies show that antioxidants can decrease the risk of various cardiovascular diseases, cancer and arthritis by preventing the oxidative stress.12 Antioxidants scavenge the free radicals present in the biologicals systems by various reactions such as chelation, quenching the singlet oxygen molecules etc.13 The presence of antioxidant property in plants has an important role in decreasing the lipid oxidation by scavenging free radicals and by donation of electrons.14 Apart from antioxidant potential, these secondary metabolites have many more beneficial impacts on human health.