The study reported here presents a comparative screening of three medicinal plants including oregano (Origanum vulgare L.), lavender (Lavandula angustifolia) and lemon balm (Melissa officinalis) having the same geographical origin, the Southeast region of Romania, and growing in the same natural conditions. The contents of total phenolics and total flavonoids for the extracts of these were determined. Furthermore, the total antioxidant capacity was also evaluated. It was found that Origanum vulgare and Melissa officinalis extracts present the most effective antioxidant capacity in scavenging DPPH radicals, while Lavandula angustifolia is less active. High performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry analysis was used to identify the components of extracts. Major phenolic acids identified in the analysed species were ferulic, rosmarinic, p-coumaric and caffeic, while predominant flavonoids were quercetin, apigenin kaempherol, which were present as glucosides.

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Herbs have been used as food and for medicinal purposes for centuries. In recent years, natural compounds such as phenolic acids, phenolic diterpenes and triterpenes, present in various plants, have been the subject of intense research due to their potential benefits for human health. It has been demonstrated that the antioxidant and radical scavenge activities are the main properties of these compounds. The main difficulties in using natural products as a source for pharmaceutical lead compounds involve separating the compounds from the original extract, as well as the cost of time and money invested in an activity that may not yield a novel compound. Herbal remedies that treat many inflammation-related disorders are typically based on plant bioactive water extracts. Studies have shown that active anti-inflammatory ingredients in water extracts include many natural chemicals such as phenols, alkaloids, glycosides, and carbohydrates. In this paper, data on different plant species having anti-inflammatory activity are presented, as well as their chemical constituents involved in this action.