Abstract

Centella asiatica (pegagan) is a well-known traditional medicinal plant that has been processed into many commercial herbal products. Those herbal products were claimed to have antioxidant effects which were beneficial to overcome free radicals in the body. Antioxidant activity of those commercial products compared to the extracts has not been studied yet. The aim of this study is to compare the antioxidant activity and tannin levels of water and ethanol extracts of C.asiatica compared to three herbal products of C.asiatica. Water extract is made by infusion while ethanol extract is made by maceration. Three brands of C.asiatica products were obtained from the market. Levels of antioxidants were measured by comparing the EC50 value using 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH). Tannin levels were measured qualitatively and semiquantitatively using FeCl3. Results showed that antioxidant activity of the water and ethanol extract of C.asiatica wer significantly higher than the commercial products (p≤0.05). Tannin’s semiquantitative test showed that all samples contained tannins but the amount was very low. .