Limnophila aromatica is commonly used as a spice and a medicinal herb in Southeast Asia.
In this study, water and various concentrations (50%, 75%, and 100%) of methanol, ethanol,
and acetone in water were used as solvent in the extraction of L. aromatica. The antioxidant
activity, total phenolic content, and total flavonoid content of the freeze-dried L. aromatica
extracts were investigated using various in vitro assays. The extract obtained by 100%
ethanol showed the highest total antioxidant activity, reducing power and DPPH (2,2-
diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl) radical scavenging activity. The same extract also exhibited
the highest phenolic content (40.5 mg gallic acid equivalent/g of defatted L. aromatica) and
the highest flavonoid content (31.11 mg quercetin equivalent/g of defatted L. aromatica).
The highest extraction yield was obtained by using 50% aqueous acetone. These results
indicate that L. aromatica can be used in dietary applications with a potential to reduce
oxidative stress.