Comparison of Commercial Calendula officinalis L. Samples with Pharmacopeial Drug: Antiradical Activities and Chemical Profiles

Calendula officinalis L. (Asteraceae) is traditionally used as a potent anti-inflammatory medicinal plant. The commercial petal samples of marigold are mostly used as herbal tea for its sedative and oral health effects due to its anti-viral and anti-bacterial properties. Its significant pharmacological activities are linked to the presence of distinct classes of compounds, particularly phenolic compounds, carotenoids, volatile oil, terpenoids and flavonoids. Taking into consideration that the amount and type of constituents could be variable in the commercial samples provided from Cyprus and Turkey compared to the standard due to various factors such as ecosystem and climate, time of harvesting, drying procedure and soil type, in this article the quality and safety of market samples was determined while ethanol and hexane extracts of standard and commercial C. officinalis samples were investigated for their anti-radical activity using ABTS and DPPH method. They both demonstrated dose-dependent manner anti-radical activity, further investigation by TPC (Total Phenolics Content) and HPLC provided evidence that both commercial and standard samples present similar fingerprint in terms of composition, and the total phenol equivalent to Gallic acid is not significantly different (P<0.05); therefore, both samples can be considered to be good and safe antiradical candidates used alternatively with the pharmacopeial drug.