Evaluation of the Total Antioxidant Capacity of Bitter and Sweet Varieties of Ferula assa-foetida and Bunium persicum

Background: Due to low information about total antioxidant capacity of three species of plants native to Ilam province which are used in the ethnobotanical knowledge of this region, This study was drafting to evaluation the antioxidant ability of bitter and sweet varieties of Ferula assa-foetida and Bunium persicum with therapeutic potential on gynecological diseases.Methods: The methanolic extracts of two different variants of F. assa-foetida and B. persicum gum-resin were prepared and then antioxidant effects were evaluated by ferric reducing-antioxidant power assay.Results: Our results showed that methanolic extracts of B. persicum gum-resin could significantly revealed antioxidant effect in comparison to two different variants of F. assa-foetida (P < 0.05). While antioxidant capacity between bitter and sweet varieties of F. assa-foetida were not statistically significant.Conclusion: Our results showed that both B. persicum and the bitter and sweet varieties of F. assa-foetida native to Ilam province, located in west of Iran, could have medicinal therapeutic effects relatively through direct oxidation prevention.