Comparative analysis of anti-oxidative properties of leaf and stem extracts of the medicinal plant Vinca rosea cultivars, Alba versus rosea

Abstract

The current study aimed at evaluating the anti-oxidative properties of extracts from leaves and stems of two commonly available cultivars, alba and rosea, of the well known medicinal plant Vinca rosea. Comparative analysis revealed presence of significantly higher levels of antioxidants in the leaves of alba cultivar in contrast to the levels in the respective parts of the rosea cultivar. A similar trend was also observed on the comparison between extracts from stems of both cultivars. These findings pave the way for identifying and characterizing the components which are selectively abundant in the alba variety, thereby focussing towards developing suitable herbal medicines in the future.