Antioxidant and Anticancer Activities of Yak-Sun Tea Prepared by Oriental Medicinal Herbs

Abstract Various types of tea are consumed as a popular beverage worldwide particularly in Asian countries such as Korea, China, and Japan. The purpose of this study was to investigate the mineral contents, antioxidant properties and anticancer activity of Yak-Sun tea that is prepared by six oriental medicinal herbs. The results of the mineral contents were as follows; Ca, Mg, and Na contents were higher than those of green tea, whereas Fe, P, and K contents were lower than those of green tea. The total phenolics and flavonoid content of the Yak-Sun tea were higher than those of green and black teas. The IC 50 values of DPPH radical, hydroxyl radical, hydrogen peroxide radical scavenging of Yak-Sun tea were 0.78, 1.58, and 2.04 ㎎/㎖, respectively, whereas the radical scavenging values of α-tocopherol was 0.06, 0.05, and 0.09 ㎎/㎖, respectively. When cancer cells were treated with Yak-Sun tea, the anticancer activity increased in a dose dependent manner. HCT116 colon cancer cell lines were dramatically increased, as compared to other cancer cell lines, such as MCF-7, H460, and MKN45 cell lines. The results of this study demonstrated that Yak-Sun tea could function as a tea to enhance health conditions for antioxidant and anticancer activity.Key words: Yak-Sun tea, antioxidant components, antioxidant properties, anticancer activity