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International Journal of Zoology and Applied Biosciences Research Article
Phytochemical profiles and radical-scavenging activity of ethnobotanically prioritized medicinal plants from Partido district, Philippines
Kier P. Gasga
Year : 2026 | Volume: 11 | Issue: 6 | Pages: 65-73
Received on: 25/08/2026
Revised on: 11/09/2026
Accepted on: 21/10/2026
Published on: 01/11/2026
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Kier P. Gasga( 2026).
Phytochemical profiles and radical-scavenging activity of ethnobotanically prioritized medicinal plants from Partido district, Philippines
. International Journal of Zoology and Applied Biosciences, 11( 6), 65-73.
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Abstract
This study quantified major phytochemical classes and radical-scavenging activity in ten medicinal plants prioritized from documented traditional healing practices in Partido District, Camarines Sur, Philippines. Ethanolic extracts were prepared from authenticated plant materials and evaluated in triplicate for total alkaloids, total phenolics, total flavonoids, saponins and 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl radical-scavenging activity. Variance-robust comparisons and multivariate analysis were used to characterize differences among taxa. The extracts showed pronounced and statistically supported heterogeneity. Artemisia vulgaris had the highest total phenolic content and strongest radical-scavenging activity; Zingiber zerumbet had the highest total flavonoid content; Caesalpinia sappan had the highest alkaloid estimate; and Rauvolfia serpentina had the highest saponin content. Total phenolic content showed a moderate inverse but nonsignificant association with the concentration required for 50% radical inhibition, whereas the other phytochemical classes showed weak associations. Principal component analysis further demonstrated distinct phytochemical profiles rather than a uniform pattern of chemical richness. The findings provide quantitative follow-through to ethnobotanical prioritization and identify chemically distinctive extracts for chromatographic characterization, complementary antioxidant assays, safety testing and mechanism-relevant biological evaluation. The results support research prioritization but do not establish clinical efficacy or safety of the traditional remedies.
Keywords
Antioxidant capacity, Ethnobotany, Flavonoids, Phenolics, Secondary metabolites.
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© The Author(s) 2026. This article is published by International Journal of Zoology and Applied Biosciences under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (creativecommons.org), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
