Antioxidant properties of tropical and temperate herbal teas

Antioxidant properties (AOP) of thirteen tropical and five temperate herbal teas were screened. Comparisons were made with green, oolong and black teas of Camellia sinensis. The AOP studied were total phenolic content, radical-scavenging activity, ferric-reducing power and ferrous ion-chelating (FIC) ability. Tropical herbal teas were more diverse in types and more variable in AOP values than temperate herbal teas. Herbal teas generally had lower antioxidant values than teas of C. sinensis. Exceptions were lemon myrtle, guava and oregano teas with AOP comparable to black teas. FIC ability of mint and peppermint teas was significantly stronger than all C. sinensis teas.