Antioxidant activity of essential oil of Artemisia vulgaris collected from sub-tropical region of Bagmati province, Nepal.

Artemisia vulgaris is one of the highly used plant species as traditional medicine because of its antioxidant activity, anti-allergic effect and other several health benefits. This study was carried out with the objectives to explore the phytochemical constituents and assess the antioxidant property of essential oils of A. vulgaris found in sub- tropical regions of Bagmati province. Hydro distillation method was used for the extraction of essential oil and gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis was performed to identify various phytochemicals present in essential oil. Evaluation of antioxidant activity by in vitro method was carried out by observing hydrogen peroxide scavenging effects of essential oils at different concentrations. GC-MS analysis showed 41 different phytochemicals including mono- and sesquiterpenes. Among them, highly expressed phytochemicals were Cadinene (14.95%), Caryophyllene(E) (9.32%), Camphor (8.74%), Thujone (6.57%), Eucalyptol (6.25%). Essential oil also showed scavenging effect against hydrogen peroxide with EC50 value of 48.49. This preliminary study shows that essential oil of A. vulgaris can be used as a source of natural antioxidants, but in vivo and other clinical trials must be done for oral use.