Evaluation of radical scavenging and antibacterial potency of leaf extracts from indigenous species of Cinnamomum tamala and Ocimum sanctum.

Extracts from two native species, Cinnamomum tamala (C. tamala) and Ocimum sanctum (O. sanctum), were analyzed for their antioxidant and antibacterial abilities. The radical scavenging activities of the C. tamala and O. sanctum extracts were noted to be more pronounced in a 50-50% water-ethanol mixture than in pure water. The total phenolic content increased from 38.83 to 124.42 mg of gallic acid equivalent per gram of dry material for C. tamala, and from 62.91 to 145.52 mg for O. sanctum when comparing pure water to the water-ethanol blend. The water-ethanolic extract of C. tamala demonstrated a higher reducing power than O. sanctum, while the water extract of O. sanctum exhibited better reducing activity in comparison to C. tamala. Both C. tamala and O. sanctum extracts proved effective against gram-positive and gram-negative strains, clearly illustrating their distinct antibacterial characteristics. The chromatograms from the GC-MS analysis of C. tamala and O. sanctum extracts revealed the presence of active bio-ingredients in both.