Free radical scavenging potential of Saussarea costus.

Saussurea costus (Falc.) Lipschitz from the family Asteraceae is an important medicinal drug, the roots of which are widely used in folk medicine. The antioxidant activity of the plant has been studied using its ability to scavenge DPPH, nitric oxide, superoxide radicals along with its ability to inhibit lipid peroxidation and GSH oxidation. The 1 mg mL(-1) extract had antioxidant activity with 85.2% reduction of DPPH and a 72.7% decrease in lipid peroxidation. It showed maximum inhibition of superoxide radical of 66.0%, and 58.4% inhibition of nitric oxide formation. The concentration of chlorogenic acid was 0.027% in the extract of S. costus. Thus, the therapeutic activity of the plant may be due to its antioxidant activity, probably as a result of the presence of chlorogenic acid.