Herbal Medicine Division, Defence Institute of Bio-Energy Research (DIBER), DRDO, Field Station, Pithoragarh-262501, Uttarakhand, India.
Indian J Pharmacol. 2012 Jan;44(1):114-7. doi: 10.4103/0253-7613.91880.
Free radicals or highly reactive oxygen species are capable of inducing oxidative damage to human body. Antioxidants are the compounds which terminate the attack of reactive species and reduce the risk of diseases. Both Baccopa monnieri and Centella asiatica are used in treatment of brain disorders in humans and have almost similar effects.
The study was conducted to determine the antioxidant properties of two well-known memory enhancer medicinal plants Baccopa monnieri and Centella asiatica.
The antioxidant activity of these two medicinal plants was evaluated by measuring reducing ability, free radical scavenging activity by DPPH and hydrogen peroxide methods. The antioxidants compounds like ascorbic acid, total phenols and tannins were also evaluated in these plants. Baccopa monnieri and Centella asiatica exhibited significant differences (P<0.05) in their antioxidant values. The methanolic extract of whole leaf powder of Baccopa monnieri exhibited significantly higher antioxidant activity than the Centella asiatica. The antioxidant components viz. ascorbic acid, total phenols and tannins were also found in a higher concentration in Baccopa monnieri as compared to Centella asiatica.
It can be concluded from the study that regular use of Baccopa monnieri as a supplement could be more helpful compared to Centella asiatica in treatment of neurological disorders caused by free radical damage.
自由基或高反应性氧物种能够对人体造成氧化损伤。抗氧化剂是能够终止活性物种攻击并降低疾病风险的化合物。莧科植物（Baccopa monnieri）和积雪草（Centella asiatica）都被用于治疗人类的大脑紊乱，并且具有几乎相似的效果。
本研究旨在确定两种广为人知的增强记忆力的药用植物——莧科植物（Baccopa monnieri）和积雪草（Centella asiatica）的抗氧化特性。
通过测量还原能力、DPPH 和过氧化氢法清除自由基活性来评估这两种药用植物的抗氧化活性。还评估了这些植物中的抗氧化化合物，如抗坏血酸、总酚和单宁。莧科植物（Baccopa monnieri）和积雪草（Centella asiatica）在其抗氧化值方面表现出显著差异（P<0.05）。莧科植物（Baccopa monnieri）全叶粉的甲醇提取物表现出比积雪草（Centella asiatica）更高的抗氧化活性。抗氧化成分，如抗坏血酸、总酚和单宁，在莧科植物（Baccopa monnieri）中的浓度也高于积雪草（Centella asiatica）。
从研究中可以得出结论，与积雪草（Centella asiatica）相比，常规使用莧科植物（Baccopa monnieri）作为补充剂可能对治疗自由基损伤引起的神经紊乱更有帮助。
