Antioxidant Activity of Vanda tessellata(Roxb.) HookEx. G. Don.

Vanda tessellata(Orchidaceae) has been utilized in Ayurveda system of medicine for treating several ailments. In this study,the antioxidant activity of the ethanolic extract of V.tessellatacollected from Keeripari Hills, Southern Western Ghats was analysed. Free radical-scavenging activity of DPPH radical-scavenging,hydroxyl radical-scavengingand total antioxidant assays were conducted. The highest percentage of scavenging of DPPH (72.75%) and hydroxyl radical (74.89%) and total antioxidant activity (74.78%) were observed at the highest concentration (250µg/ml) compared with standard ascorbic acid. The present investigation proves that V. tessellata extract has strong antioxidant property that might help protect against diseases due to oxidative stress.