Extraction, Isolation and Characterization of Naturally Occurring Antioxidants

Traditional medicines are used by approximately 60 per cent of the world's population. These are used for primary health care not just in rural areas of developing countries, but also in developed countries where modern medicines are predominantly used. While traditional medicines are derived from plants, minerals, and organic matter, the herbal drugs are prepared exclusively from medicinal plants [1, 2]. Adaptation to environmental change is crucial for plant growth and survival. Environmental stress enhances the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) such as superoxide anion, hydrogen peroxide and hydroxyl radicals [3, 4]. ROS have been proposed as a central component of plant adaptation to both biotic and abiotic stresses. ROS are produced by leakage of electrons on to molecular oxygen from chloroplasts, mitochondria and plasma membrane linked electron transport [5]. Different types of ROS based on their in vivo concentration can perform beneficial or deleterious functions in the cell [6].