Chemical composition and antioxidant

activity of Strobilanthes crispus leaf

extract
Maznah Ismail,* Elizabeth Manickam,* Azlina Md. Danial,* Asmah Rahmat,* and
†
Asmah Yahaya

*Department of Nutrition & Health Science, Faculty of Medicine & Health Sciences, University
Putra Malaysia, Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia and †Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science
& Environmental Studies, University Putra Malaysia, Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia

This study investigated the components present in and the total antioxidant activity of leaves of Strobilanthes
crispus (L.) Bremek or Saricocalyx crispus (L.) Bremek (Acanthacea). Proximate analyses and total antioxidant
activity using ferric thiocyanate and thiobarbituric acid methods were employed. Minerals content was
determined using the atomic absorption spectrophotometer, whereas the water-soluble vitamins were determined
by means of the UV-VIS spectrophotometer (vitamin C) and fluorimeter (vitamins B1 and B2). Catechin, tannin,
caffeine, and alkaloid contents were also studied. All data were compared to the previously reported results of
Yerbamate, green tea, black tea, and Indian tea. The dried leaves contained a high amount of total ash (21.6%)
as a result of a high amount of minerals including potassium (51%), calcium (24%), sodium (13%), iron (1%),
and phosphorus (1%). High content of water-soluble vitamins (C, B1, and B2) contributed to the high antioxidant
activity of the leaves. The leaves also contained a moderate amount of other proximate composition as well as
other compounds such as catechins, alkaloids, caffeine, and tannin, contributing further to the total antioxidant
activity. Catechins of Strobilanthes crispus leaves showed highest antioxidant activity when compared to
Yerbamate and vitamin E. Consumption of the leafy extract daily (5 g/day) as an herbal tea could contribute to
the additional nutrients and antioxidants needed in the body to enhance the defense system, especially toward the
incidence of degenerative diseases. (J. Nutr. Biochem. 11:536 –542, 2000) © Elsevier Science Inc. 2000. All
rights reserved.

Keywords: Strobilanthes crispus; nutritional composition; antioxidants; catechin; total antioxidant activity

Introduction its properties considered to be a remedy for many ills.3

Subsequent to medicinal properties of tea, many new plants
Over the centuries, no fewer than 3,000 plant species have are introduced and studied to increase the discovery of
been used to treat cancer.1 Many recent studies indicate that natural products as cancer chemotherapeutic agents.4 So far,
among most plants, tea extracts have the most potent knowledge about beneficial effects of certain plants is
anticarcinogenic agents, thereby raising much interest not mainly transmitted by personal communication; therefore, it
only in Japan but also in other countries.2 Tea has become remains unknown to the general population. Many studies
a product of great value and its popularity as a nonintoxi- need to be done to promote the usage and application of
cating drink is well received world wide. It is a beverage these native plants.
consumed by more than half the population of the world The Strobilanthes crispus ZII 109 (L.) Bremek or Sari-
because of its desirable taste and refreshing effect as well as cocalyx crispus ZII 109 (L.) Bremek (Acanthaceae) plant is
native to countries from Madagascar to Indonesia, and is
commonly known as “daun picah beling” in Jakarta or
“enyoh kelo,” “kecibeling,” or “kejibeling” in Java.5 It was
Address correspondence to Dr. Maznah Ismail, Department of Nutrition &
Health Science, Faculty of Medicine & Health Sciences, University Putra first recorded by Thomas Anderson (1832–1870) who
Malaysia, 43400UPM, Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia. classified the plant under Spermatophyta (Flowering Plants
Received January 11, 2000; accepted July 24, 2000. and Gymnosperma).6 Strobilanthes (cone-head) was named

J. Nutr. Biochem. 11:536 –542, 2000

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 Composition and antioxidant activity of Strobilanthes crispus: Ismail et al.

from the combination of strobilos, which means flower,7 was then added with constant shaking. The upper ethyl acetate
and crispus, which is phyllostachyus or spike-like leaf layer was collected and concentrated using a rotary evaporator
(phyllo means leaf, and stachyus means spike).8 The con- (Heidolph, WB 2001 Tokyo Rikakikai Co., Tokyo, Japan) until a
junction of the names leads to the meaningful definition of viscous layer was formed.
Yerbamate, a popularly consumed imported commercial herbal
the physical plant. This bush-like plant can be found on tea was purchased from a local supermarket and was treated in a
riverbanks or abandoned fields; some Javanese use this similar manner according to the analyses. Vitamin E was pur-
plant as fence hedges. The leaves are oblong-lanceolate, chased from Sigma Chemical Co. (St. Louis, MO USA).
rather obtuse, and shallowly crenate-crispate.9 Top surfaces
of the leaves are darker green in color and less rough
compared to the below surface.5 The leaves are very scabrid Methods
on both surfaces and covered with short hairs, whereas the Proximate analysis. Moisture, total ash, crude fiber, protein, and
flowers are short, dense, and are panicled spikes.10 The ether extract contents of the sample were determined by Associa-
plant can be easily propagated by using the stacks.5 tion of Official Analytical Chemists15 and Tee et al.16 methods.
Although there is very little record of this plant being The nitrogen content was estimated by micro-kjeldhal techniques
used for medicinal purposes, a study in Indonesia found that and the crude protein was calculated as N ⫻ 6.25. Ash samples
underwent further analyses to determine water-insoluble ash,
an infusion of the dried leaves of Strobilanthes crispus has water-soluble ash, and alkalinity of soluble ash according to the
been used as antidiabetic, diuretic, antilytic, and laxative. International Standard ISO 1576 –1975 (E)17 and 1578 –1975 (E)18
This plant has many cystoliths of calcium carbonate, and an method, whereas acid-insoluble ash was determined according to
infusion is mildly alkaline,11 which gives a slightly bitter Pearson19 procedures. Extractives of the leaves were also deter-
taste.5 A very recent study also indicated that the water mined according to the Pearson19 method. These analyses were
extract of Strobilanthes crispus contained compounds with carried out to investigate whether the leaves were suitable for
very high binding affinity to protein molecules, which may herbal tea preparations. Total carbohydrate in the leaves was
bind the active sites of reverse transcriptase, therefore determined by the Association of Official Analytical Chemists15
inhibiting the proliferation of retroviruses—agents in viral method. The change of the green color was determined in a
diseases such as acquired immune deficiency syndrome and spectrophotometer at 630 nm.
adult T-cell leukemia.12 Mineral determination. Sodium, potassium, calcium, and iron
Soediro and colleagues13 isolated and identified an ester content of the leaves was determined from ashed samples using the
glycosidic compound of caffeic acid, a verbascoside in the flame system of the Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer (GBC,
leaves, by using thin layer chromatography (TLC) tech- Model #908AA, USA). Phosphorus content in the triple acid
niques. This compound is known to have analgesic effects digested sample was determined colorimetrically.
internally, and antifungal and antibacterial effects when
used externally. Later, seven phenolic acids—␳-hydroxy Water-soluble vitamins determination. Fresh leaf samples were
benzoic, ␳-voumaric, caffeic, vanillic, gentinic, ferulic, and needed to determine ascorbic acid (due to its sensitivity toward
syryngic acid—were also identified by TLC, paper chroma- light and water), which was determined according to Association
tography, and UV spectrophotometric techniques.14 How- of Vitamin Chemists, Inc.20 methods, whereas dry samples were
used to determine riboflavin (B2) and thiamin (B1) using fluorim-
ever, there has not been any study performed on the
etry (Perkin Elmer, Model #LS-5, Victoria, Australia) methods. A
composition of other chemicals in this plant, nor has the sample containing riboflavin was prepared according to the Asso-
chemical composition been related to the total antioxidant ciation of Vitamin Chemists, Inc.,20 whereas samples containing
activity. This study was therefore carried out to evaluate the thiamin were prepared according to the Association of Analytical
chemical composition of Strobilanthes crispus; proximate Chemists.15
analyses, vitamin and mineral content, and other com-
pounds that could contribute to its total antioxidant activity Determination of other chemical compounds. Other chemical
were determined. components of the leaves including tannin, caffeine, alkaloid, and
catechin were also determined. Caffeine was analyzed by Nollet21
methods using reverse phase high pressured liquid chromatogra-
phy (Hewlett Packard, Model HP #1100, Palo Alto, CA USA),
Materials and methods whereas tannin was determined by titration of KmnO4 (Hart and
Fisher22) and percent tannin was calculated according to the
Materials formula, 1 mL KmnO4 ⫽ 0.0416 g tannin (gallotannic acid) or 1
The leaves of Strobilanthes crispus were collected from the mL of 0.008M KmnO4 ⫽ 0.001664 g tannin. Alkaloid content of
Horticulture Unit of University Putra Malaysia. The leaves were the dried leaves was determined using Wagner et al.23 methods
separated from the stalks, thoroughly washed with tap water, with slight modification. In brief, Strobilanthes crispus leaves (1
rinsed with distilled water, and were then dried in the oven at 60°C g) were mixed thoroughly with 1 mL of 10% ammonia solution, or
overnight. The dired leaves were ground to a fine powder and 10% Na2CO3 solution, then extracted by shaking for about 5 min
stored in an airtight container until further use. Fresh leaves that with 5 mL methanol at 60°C in a shaking water bath. The filtrate
had been cleaned were used only to determine moisture and was cooled and concentrated so that 100 ␮L (the maximal quantity
ascorbic acid content. For antioxidant activity, ethyl extract of that should be applied to the TLC plate) contained about 50 –100
Strobilanthes crispus leaves was prepared in order to extract most ␮g alkaloids. Catechin was extracted as mentioned earlier and was
of the catechin present. Crushed dried Strobilanthes crispus leaves subjected to antioxidant activity analysis.
(25 g) were placed in a separating funnel, soaked in distilled water
and shaken for 10 min. Chloroform was added and the funnel was Determination of total antioxidant activity. Ferric thiocyanate
further shaken until two layers were formed. The organic layer was (FTC) method. The methods of Mitsuda et al.24 and Osawa and
removed and ethyl acetate (J. T. Baker, Phillipsburg, PA, USA) Namiki25 were slightly modified by Kikuzaki and Nakatani.26 FTC

J. Nutr. Biochem., 2000, vol. 11, November/December 537

Research Communication
Table 1 Chemical composition of Strobilanthes crispus, Yerbamate, green, black, and Indian teas

Analysis Mean ⫾ SD Yerbamatea Indian teaa Green teab Black teab

Proximate analysis
Moisture content (%) 69.3 ⫾ 0.1 9.00 9.3 —c 3.9–9.5
Total ash (%) 21.6 ⫾ 0.1 6.7 — 6.1–9.2 4.9–6.5
Water-insoluble ash (%) 13.8 ⫾ 1.0 — — 5.2–7.2 —
Water-soluble ash (%) 7.9 ⫾ 1.0 2.3 — 2.6–1.6 3.0–4.2
Alkalinity of soluble ash (mL acid/g) 6.5 ⫾ 2.0 — — 2.6–1.6 1.2–1.6
Acid-insoluble ash (%) 2.2 ⫾ 0.8 — — 0.05–0.9 0.2–0.4
Extractivities (%) 6.7 ⫾ 0.4 33.1 — 33–45 30–50
Protein content 13.3 ⫾ 0.9 9.8 14.1 — 5.0–6.2
Total carbohydrate (%) 4.3 ⫾ 0.7 — 0.0 — —
Crude fiber (%) 13.9 ⫾ 0.6 15.5 — 9–15 —
Ether extract (%) 1.9 ⫾ 0.7 2.1 — — 14–18
Minerals (mg/100 g dried sample)
Sodium 2,953 ⫾ 60 1,112 44.5 — —
Potassium 10,900 ⫾ 498 2,227 2,160 — —
Calcium 5,185 ⫾ 359 664 426 — —
Iron 255 ⫾ 163 — 15.2 — —
Phosphorus 201 ⫾ 22 394 628 — —
Vitamins (mg/100 g sample)
Ascorbic acid (C)* 9.8 ⫾ 1.2 — 0.0 — —
Riboflavin (B2) 0.11 ⫾ 0.04 — 0.9 — —
Thiamin (B1) 0.14 ⫾ 0.001 0.2 0.14 — —
Other chemical components
Caffeine (%) 0.0 (11) 0.6–1.4 2.5 1.5–4.3 10–11
Tannin (%) 1.0 ⫾ 0.30 9.8 — — —
Alkaloid (%) 3.2 ⫾ 0.60 4.4 — — —
Catechin (%) 1.18 ⫾ 0.08 0.9 — 5.8 —

Each value represents the mean ⫾ SD of 6 determinations.

a
Reference: Hart and Fisher22
b
Reference: Pearson19
c
—shows no studies have been done
*Value refers to values on a wet weight basis.

method was used to determine the amount of peroxide at the initial 10 min. After cooling, it was centrifuged at 3,000 rpm for 20 min
stage of lipid peroxidation. The peroxide reacts with ferrous and the absorbance of the supernatant was measured at 532 nm.
chloride to form a reddish ferric chloride pigment. In this method, Antioxidant activity was based on the absorbance on the final day.
the concentration of peroxide decreases as the antioxidant activity
increases. In brief, a mixture of 4 mg weight sample in 4 mL Data analysis. All determinations were carried out in six tripli-
absolute ethanol (Merck) 4.1 mL of 2.52% linoleic acid (Sigma) in cates and data were subjected to analysis of variance and Student’s
absolute ethanol, 8 mL of 0.05 M phosphate buffer (pH 7.0), and t-test.
3.9 mL of water was placed in a vial (A ⫽ 38 mm, h ⫽ 75 mm)
with a screw cap and then placed in an oven at 40°C in the dark.
To 0.1 mL of this solution was added 9.7 mL of 75% ethanol and Results
0.1 mL 30% ammonium thiocyanate (Sigma). Precisely 3 min after
the addition of 0.1 mL of 0.02M ferrous chloride in 3.5% Chemical composition
hydrochloric acid to the reaction mixture, the absorbance was
measured at 500 nm for every 24 hours until the absorbance of the
The proximate composition, some water-soluble vitamins
control reached maximum. The control and standard were sub- and mineral contents as well as other chemical components
jected to the same procedures as the sample except that for the of the Strobilanthes crispus leaves are presented in Table 1.
control, only the solvent was added, and for the standard, 4 mg For comparison purposes, values of Yerbamate, Indian tea,
sample was replaced with 4 mg of vitamin E. green tea, and black tea, according to some previous studies,
are also included. Moisture content formed the bulk of
Thiobarbituric acid (TBA) method. The method of Ottolenghi27 tissue weight in the fresh Strobilanthes crispus leaves with
was used to determine the TBA values of the samples. The the mean value of 69.3%. High levels of total ash (21.6%)
formation of malonaldehyde is the basis for the well-known TBA in the dried plant leaves, on the other hand, were the result
method used for evaluating the extent of lipid peroxidation. At low of high content of minerals such as potassium (10,900
pH and high temperature (100°C), malonaldehyde binds TBA to
form a red complex that can be measured at 532 nm. The increase
mg/100 g sample), followed by calcium (5,185 mg/100 g
of the amount of the red pigment formed correlates with the sample). This plant was also rich in sodium (2,953 mg/100
oxidative rancidity of the lipid. Two mL 20% trichloroacetic acid g sample) and iron (255 mg/100 g sample) but with lower
and 2 mL TBA aqueous solution were added to 1 mL of sample amounts of phosphorus (201 mg/100 g sample). Yerbamate,
solution prepared as in the FTC procedure, and incubated in a however, contained only 2,227 mg/100 g potassium, 1,112
similar manner. The mixture was placed in a boiling water bath for mg/100 g sodium, 664 mg/100 g calcium, and 394 mg/100

538 J. Nutr. Biochem., 2000, vol. 11, November/December

 Composition and antioxidant activity of Strobilanthes crispus: Ismail et al.
Table 2 Percent contribution of minerals and vitamins by two cups of Strobilanthes crispus leaves

mg components mg components Minimum % of RDA components

Components in 100 g in 5 g RDA* needed in 2 cups (5 g)***

Minerals
Sodium 2,953 148 1,100 13.4
Potassium 10,900 545 1,875 29.1
Calcium 5,185 259 800 32.4
Iron 255 12.8 10 127.5
Phosphorus 201 10.1 800 1.3
Vitamins
Ascorbic acid (C)*** 9.75 0.49 10 4.9
Riboflavin (B2) 0.144 0.006 0.6 1.0
Thiamin (B1) 0.138 0.007 0.5 1.4

*Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA) according to Mahan and Escott-Stump.36

**Actual absorption needs to be taken into consideration.
***Values per wet leaves basis; all others are on dry leaves basis.

g phosphorus; Indian tea contained 2,160 mg/100 g potas- Yerbamate contained 0.6 –1.4% caffeine, 9.8% tannin, and
sium, 628 mg/100 g phosphorus, 426 mg/100 g calcium, 4.4% alkaloid. The amount of catechin, however, was
44.5 mg/100 g sodium, and 15.2 mg/100 g iron. The higher in Strobilanthes crispus leaves (1.18%) than in
potassium content in Strobilanthes crispus leaves was about Yerbamate (0.9%). Green tea, on the other hand, contained
5 times higher than in Yerbamate or Indian tea, and calcium about 1.5– 4.3% caffeine and 5.8% catechin.19,20
was present about 10 times higher in Strobilanthes crispus Table 2 showed the percent composition of minerals and
when compared to the other two commercial products. vitamins in 5 g of dried Strobilanthes crispus leaves.
However, phosphorus content was about 2 to 3 times lower Consumption of two cups (5 g) of the leaves as herbal tea
than that of Yerbamate and Indian tea. The leaves also (2.5 g per cup) daily could contribute appreciable amounts
contained 2.2% of acid-insoluble ash, which was less than of minerals to the body. The table shows about 127.5% of
the U.S. regulations (4%) but much higher than in the green the Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA) for iron being
tea (0.05– 0.9%). Water-insoluble ash and water-soluble ash contributed from 5 g of sample, followed by calcium
were determined as 13.8% and 7.9%, respectively. Green (32.4%), potassium (29.1%), and sodium (13.4%). Never-
tea and black tea, on the other hand, contained water theless, not all of the minerals (especially iron) present in
insoluble ash and water-soluble ash ranging between 5.2– the leaves can be absorbed. As much as 5% of vitamin C
7.2% and 3.0 – 4.2%, respectively. The Strobilanthes cris- could be consumed daily if fresh Strobilanthes crispus
pus leaves gave a value of alkalinity at 6.5 mL acid/g leaves were used as tea brew. However, phosphorus, ribo-
sample, whereas green tea and black tea contained only flavin, and thiamin were present only in minor amounts (1%
1.2–1.6 mL acid/g. The extractive value of this plant was each) in 5 g sample if consumed daily.
6.7%, whereas the extractive values for green tea and black
tea ranged from 30 –50%.
Antioxidant activity
Protein content of Strobilanthes crispus leaves was about
13.3%, which is quite similar to Indian tea (14.1%). Total The total antioxidant activity of Strobilanthes crispus and
carbohydrate and ether extract content was 4.3% and 1.9%, Yerbamate extracts was assessed by both FTC and TBA
respectively. Previous data of ether extract of Yerbamate methods at a concentration of 0.02% and compared with
gave a value of 2.1%. Strobilanthes crispus leaves also vitamin E. The individual activity of these samples by the
contained high amount of crude fiber (13.9%), which was FTC method (Figure 1) showed low absorbance values,
comparable to Yerbamate (15.5%) and also within the range which indicated high levels of antioxidant activity, as
reported for green tea (9 –15%). The Strobilanthes crispus shown in Figure 2. In general, Strobilanthes crispus, Yer-
leaves contained high amounts of vitamins, especially bamate, and vitamin E markedly inhibited the oxidation of
ascorbic acid (9.8%), in the fresh leaves. Indian tea did not linoleic acid for a period of 6 days when compared to
show any appreciable amount of ascorbic acid due to losses control. Strobilanthes crispus showed the least increase in
during processing. As for riboflavin and thiamin, the leaves absorbance values, followed by Yerbamate and vitamin E,
contained 0.11% riboflavin and 0.14% thiamin in dried but there was no significant difference among these sam-
leaves. The value of thiamin was quite similar to Yerbamate ples. The control showed no significant difference from
(0.2%) and Indian tea (0.14%), whereas riboflavin in these samples until Day 2, but increased significantly on
Strobilanthes crispus (0.11%) was very much less com- Day 3 (P ⬍ 0.05), reached maximum level on Day 4, and
pared with Indian tea (0.9%). finally dropped on Day 5 due to the malonaldehyde content.
Levels of other components of the Strobilanthes crispus The absorbance values from TBA method (Figure 3)
leaves were much lower than those of green tea, Indian tea, showed total peroxide values produced by the oxidation of
or Yerbamate. Strobilanthes crispus leaves contained only linoleic acid. The higher the absorbance values, the lower
0.01% caffeine, 1.0% tannin, and 3.2% alkaloid, whereas the level of antioxidant activity. The control had the highest

J. Nutr. Biochem., 2000, vol. 11, November/December 539

Research Communication

antioxidant activity (96%), followed by Yerbamate (82%)

and vitamin E (76%).

Discussion
Many plants are consumed not only as vegetables or used in
food preparations but they are also utilized for medicinal
purposes. Strobilanthes crispus is used widely in the herbal
and traditional medicinal preparations in this part of the
world, especially among the Indonesians and the Malays. It
is also commonly consumed in the form of herbal tea.
Although it has been used widely in the treatment of various
ailments, scientific data on this plant is still lacking. Many
studies need to be done before it can be promoted for
utilization or be commercialized. The World Health Orga-
nization estimated that ⬃80% of the world’s inhabitants
rely on traditional medicine for their primary health care
needs, and most of this therapy involves the use of plant
extracts or their active components. The present study
elaborates on the chemical composition of Strobilanthes
crispus as well as on the total antioxidant activity of the
leafy ethyl acetate extract.
The chemical composition was carried out to determine
Figure 1 Absorbance values of samples at 0.02% concentration the nutrients and some of the active components in the
using FTC method. Ctrl: control; Vit E: vitamin E; SC: Strobilanthes leaves of the plant and, hence, compare them with some
crispus; YM: Yerbamate. other commercial teas and an imported herbal tea, Yerbam-
ate, which is highly consumed locally. Green tea is now one
absorbance value (1.47) followed by vitamin E (0.23), of the most widely consumed beverages in Asian countries
Yerbamate (0.22), and Strobilanthes crispus (0.18), and not only because of its desirable taste but also due to its
they were significantly different within the samples. Based antioxidative, antimicrobial, and anticarcinogenic proper-
on the present result, Strobilanthes crispus had the highest ties.25 Similarly, black tea and Indian tea are consumed
widely, although their effects toward disease prevention are
very much less compared to green tea. Apart from these
teas, there is now an increased interest to consume various
herbal teas for similar purposes. All these teas contain
numerous compounds including flavanoids and catechin,
both of which have antioxidant and health-promoting prop-
erties. Yerbamate contains chlorophyll, iron, panthotenic
acid, trace minerals, and vitamins C and E.28 From the
results, Strobilanthes crispus has been shown to have
similar high mineral content, especially potassium, calcium,
sodium, and iron. An earlier report by Sunarto5 indicated
that high amounts of the potassium is present as potassium
silicate. High ash levels, as found in this study, could
suggest the presence of an adulterant; however, acid-
insoluble ash content was found to be lower than the
maximum permitted value for herbs and spices.29 Further-
more, the high values of both water-soluble ash and alka-
linity of the ash indicated a high quality of Strobilanthes
leaves. In addition to minerals, the leaves also contributed
other nutrients such as fiber, ascorbic acid, riboflavin and
thiamin, which correlate with the possible antioxidant ac-
tivity. Proximate analysis composition is of a moderate
amount. Stribilanthes leaves were found to be low in tannin
and caffeine but contained an appreciable amount of cate-
chin, which was lower than green tea but slightly higher
than Yerbamate.
Daily consumption of the leafy water extract could
Figure 2 Antioxidant activity of samples at 0.02% concentration contribute to the daily requirement of some of the nutrients.
using FTC method. Vit E: vitamin E; SC: Strobilanthes crispus; YM: Normally, each cup of tea is recommended to have about
Yerbamate. 2.5 g of tea leaves. Consumption of about 5 g dried

540 J. Nutr. Biochem., 2000, vol. 11, November/December

 Composition and antioxidant activity of Strobilanthes crispus: Ismail et al.

Figure 3 Absorbance values of samples at 0.02% concentra-

tion using TBA method. Ctrl: control; Vit E: vitamin E; SC:
Strobilanthes crispus; YM: Yerbamate.

Strobilanthes crispus leaves or a minimum of two cups on Day 4, and finally dropped on Day 5. This reduction is
daily may contribute a high percentage of adult RDAs for due to the accumulation of malonaldehyde compounds from
iron, calcium, and potassium. Inorganic iron or nonheme linoleic acid oxidation, which is not stable. Further oxida-
iron is the most abundant form of iron in plant sources and tion causes malonaldehyde to be converted to secondary
the most prevalent form of iron in the diet; however, only products such as alcohols and acids that cannot be detected.
about 3% of it can be absorbed. Nonheme iron absorption Antioxidant activity in Strobilanthes crispus ethyl extract
may be enhanced by ascorbic acid, certain animal proteins, was found to be the highest, followed by Yerbamate and
and gastric acidity, but on the other hand, may be reduced vitamin E. The high antioxidant activity of Strobilanthes
by many natural substances including tannic acid, calcium, crispus ethyl extract could be due to the catechin as well
phytates, and oxalates. Low tannin and caffeine levels found other flavanoids present in the extract, although their effect
in the leaves but high ascorbic acid content may be able to might not be as much as catechin due to their low levels.
enhance the iron absorption. Catechin and alkaloid have This result is supported by the report of Lunder,31 who
been used in the treatment of many diseases for over 10 found catechins, especially epigallocatechin gallate, which
years.30 represents 50 – 60% of all catechins, seem to be responsible
Catechin, which is present mostly in fruits, vegetables, for the total antioxidant activity; there seems to be a good
tea, coffee, and cereal grains, was used to estimate the correlation between its content and the antioxidant activity.
antioxidant activity of this plant. Antioxidants are known to Apart from these compounds, other phenolic acids that have
alleviate oxidative stress by scavenging free radicals and been identified in the leaves31 may also contribute to the
protect biological macromolecules from their toxic effect. antioxidant activity. The content of catechin somewhat
Because oxidative stress is generally perceived as one of the varies in various teas in the following order; green tea ⬎
major causes for the accumulation of mutations in the oolong tea ⬎ black tea. Serafini and co-workers32 studied
genome, antioxidants are believed to provide protection the in vitro antioxidant activity of green and black teas and
against cancer.30 During the oxidation process, peroxide is established that both of them represented an excellent
gradually decomposed to lower molecular compounds that source of antioxidants, especially catechin, with green tea
are measured by FTC and TBA methods. FTC method is being about five times more potent than black tea. However,
used to measure the amount of peroxide at the primary stage in another study, it was reported that oolong tea, which
of linoleic acid peroxidation, whereas TBA measures at the exhibited 73.6% inhibition of linoleic acid peroxidation,
secondary stage.26 From the FTC result, Strobilanthes showed greater antioxidant activity than green tea, suggest-
crispus showed the least increase in absorbance values, ing that the variable in antioxidant activity of these tea
followed by Yerbamate and vitamin E without differences extracts may not be completely attributed to the content of
(P ⬍ 0.05) among them from Day 1 to Day 2, but levels catechins alone.33 Other polyphenolic compounds such as
increased significantly on Day 3, reached maximum levels those that have been isolated from the leafy extract as well

J. Nutr. Biochem., 2000, vol. 11, November/December 541

Research Communication

as tocopherol, derivatives of cinnamic acid, phosphatide, 13 Soediro, L., Pellecuer, J., Andary, C., and Privat, G. (1983).
and other organic acids could contribute to the total antiox- Strobilanthes crispus (L.) Bl. I: Pemeriksaan senyawa turunan asam
kafeat verbaskosid. Acta Pharm. Indones., VIII(I), 1–10
idant activity.34 However, further investigations are re- 14 Soediro, I., Pellecuer, J., Andary, C., and Privat, G. (1987). Strobi-
quired to determine the specific components that may lanthes crispus (L.) Bl.: Pemeriksaan Asam fenolat. Acta Pharm.
exhibit different degrees of activity. Indones. XII(I), 1–7
It must be recognized that meaningful comparison of the 15 Association of Official Analytical Chemists. (1984). Official Meth-
data presented with those previously reported for other ods of Analysis, 14th ed., (S. Williams, ed.), Washington, DC, USA
16 Tee, E.S., Kuladevan, R., Young, S.I., Khor, S.G., and Omar, Z.H.
plants may be difficult because of different procedures used
(1996). Laboratory Procedures in Nutrient Analysis of Foods.
in the analyses, and that agronomic practices and environ- Division of Human Nutrition, Institute for Medical Research, Kuala
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