Antioxidant activity and phenolic profile of a collection of medicinal plants from Tunisian arid and Saharan regions

•This study is a detailed report on bioactive phytochemicals from desert plants.•Antioxidant activitiy, polyphenols and flavonoids were variable among species.•Twenty three compounds were identified and 10 were predominant and common.•Heatmap allowed selecting Ziziphus lotus and Ephedra alata.