ABSTRACT
Main health benefits properties found in plants are results of secondary metabolites found in their extracts. In this sense, there is the Cnidoscolus phyllacanthus species, popularly known as faveleira or favela, with several reports in tradicional medicine, such as healing, analgesic, anti-inflammatory, antibiotic and diuretic. This study aims to evaluate qualitatively and quantitatively the secondary metabolites present in Cnidoscolus phyllacanthus extracts from Brazilian Northeast and their antioxidant activity. Several metabolites were determined from its branches, roots and leaves, such as tannins, alkaloids and anthocyanins. In antioxidant activity, faveleira leaves had highlighted, presenting IC50 of 58.3 ppm, similar to vitamin C (43.0 ppm) used as a positive standard. This study is a contribution for the knowledge about the use of this plant for medicinal purposes.
Keywords
Native species; metabolites quantification; DPPH radical