<i>Myrothamnus flabellifolius</i> Welw. (Myrothamnaceae) essential oil scavenges free radicals and inhibits carbohydrate-metabolizing enzymes <i>in vitro</i>

Myrothamnus flabellifolius is an important medicinal plant traditionally used in southern Africa to treat array of diseases, including diabetes mellitus. This study investigates the chemical compositions, antioxidant activity, and inhibition carbohydrate-metabolizing enzymes by essential oil from leaves (MFEO). The extracted hydrodistillation was analyzed gas chromatography – flame thermionic detector (GC FTD) GC mass spectrometry MS). antidiabetic activities were carried out using standard vitro methods. MFEO displayed potent effects more than standards for superoxide anion, nitric oxide, metal chelation, hydroxyl radical scavenging assays with half-maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) values 0.23, 0.71, 0.58, 0.43 mg/mL respectively. also significantly higher (p < 0.05) α-glucosidase α-amylase acarbose, IC50 0.52 0.59 mg/mL, analysis revealed presence twenty (20) compounds dominated mainly monoterpenes non-terpenoid derivatives. major constituents β- myrcene (37.1%), mentha-1,5,8-triene (24.9%), α-pinene (10.80%). Some these identified components have been reported be antioxidative antidiabetic, buttressing MFEO.