The health benefits of three Hedgenettle herbal teas (Stachys byzantina, Stachys inflata, and Stachys lavandulifolia) - profiling phenolic and antioxidant activities

Abstract Introduction Plants belonging to the genus Stachys have been used in traditional medicine due to their various properties. The potential health benefits of three widely consumed Stachys decoctions (S. byzantina, S. inflate and S. lavandulifolia) were profiled in terms of their phenolic compounds and antioxidant properties, Methods Reverse-phase high-performance liquid chromatography- diode array detector (RP-HPLC-DAD) analysis for phenolics profiling was carried out. Moreover, comprehensive antioxidant ability and several key enzymes inhibitory activity of decoctions were investigated. Results 14 phenolic components were quantified in the samples in which chlorogenic acid (6228 μg/g decoction), (+)-catechin (504 μg/g decoction), and rosmarinic acid (460 μg/g decoction) were found to be the major bioactive compounds. S. inflata showed high DPPH radical scavenging potential (141 mg Trolox equivalents/g decoction) and S. byzantina indicated excellent radical scavenging activity in ABTS (330 mg TE/g decoction) assay. Also, all decoctions exhibited strong reducing power in CUPRAC (280−363 mg TE/g decoction) and FRAP (270−312 mg TE/g decoction) assays. Therapeutic enzymes inhibition experiments showed moderate anti-cholinesterase (0.98–1.16 mg galanthamine equivalents/g decoction) and strong anti-tyrosinase (13.6–15.0 mg kojic acid equivalents/g decoction) properties for Stachys herbal teas. Conclusion Findings indicate that the decoction of Stachys species contain important bioactive phenolics and have promising antioxidant effects and health benefits. Thus, these medicinal herbs can be considered as useful ingredients in food and pharmaceutical products.