ANTIOXIDANT ACTIVITIES OF LEAF EXTRACTS OF SOME COMMON BETEL VARIETIES (PIPER BETLE L.) AVAILABLE IN ODISHA

Natural antioxidants play an important role in the prevention of many age-related diseases and promotion of health. Among natural antioxidants from plants, flavonoids and other phenolic compounds are potent antioxidants and chelating agents. Betel (Piper betle) is the leaf of a vine belonging to the family Piperaceae, which also includes pepper and kava. It is valued both as mild stimulant and appetiser. Betel leaf is mostly consumed in Asia, and elsewhere in the world by some Asian emigrants, with or without tobacco, the later is an addictive psychostimulating and euphoria-inducing formulation with adverse health effects. Betel leaf is said to have antioxidant properties. No reports are available on the antioxidant potential of the leaf extracts of common betel verities chewed in Odisha. Keeping this in view,   the antioxidant activities of leaf extracts of five selected betel varieties (Vishnupuri, Desawari, Ghajipur, Desipaan and Jaleswar) were carried out. Results revealed that the leaves have sound ROS scavenging activity. Present papers highlights the antioxidant and medicinal importances of common betel varieties, the traditional edible leaf of Odisha.