Analysis of phenolic content and antioxidant activities of water and ethanol extract of some herbs commonly used as immune boosters

Several studies have shown that many herbal plants have antiviral properties by stimulating the immune system. Therefore, it is necessary to explore the characteristics and properties of the chemical compounds of these plants. The purpose of this study was to determine the total phenol content and antioxidant activity of several types of herbs commonly used to improve the body's immune system. As samples of herbal plants used in this study were Phyllanthus niruri, Andrographis paniculata, Curcuma longa, Zingiber officinale, Citrus limon, and Cymbopogon citratus which were made in the form of water and ethanol extracts. The water extract was made by boiling of herbal powder with distilled water for 15 minutes, while the ethanol extract was made by maceration of herbal powder with ethanol for 24 hours at room temperature. Determination of the phenolic content of each extract using a spectroscopic method with Folin-Ciocalteu reagent. The antioxidant activity test of each herbal extract used the DPPH (2,2-diphenyl picryl hydrazine) method and its absorbance was measured at a wavelength of 516 nm. The results showed that each extract had different levels of phenolic and antioxidant activity. The ethanol extract of each type of herb showed higher phenolic content and antioxidant activity than the aqueous extract. The findings are valuable information that can be applied to the herbal plant development industry as medicinal raw materials.