Study of Anthocyanin Content, Antioxidant Property, UV Absorbance & SPF Analysis of A Few Petals

Abstract

Herbal medicine has been commonly used over the years for treatment and prevention of diseases and health promotion as well as for enhancement of the life span and quality of life. It is a well-known fact that Traditional Systems of medicine always played an important role in meeting the global health care needs. Herbal cosmetics use phytochemicals from variety of plants. The botanical ingredients present influence biological functions of skin and provides nutrients necessary for healthy skin. Skin care is major problem faced by many people due to increase in pollution and other factors. The aim of this study was to determine the Anthocyanin content, Antioxidant property, UV Absorbance & Sun Protection Factor (SPF) of few petals namely, Rose, Bougainvillea, Chrysanthemum, Dahlia, Marigold and Ixora. It was found that dry ethanolic and aqueous extracts of Dahlia, Chrysanthemum and Rose has high anthocyanin content and SPF value above 30 compared to other flower petals. Skin cream was prepared using aqueous extract of these three petals. Lavender oil was used for fragrance. Survey was conducted through questionnaire. Though many plants are known to cure various diseases, knowledge of traditional medicine used by communities in India has been lost due to lack of documentation. Hence efforts were made to visit villages in Karnataka & Mumbai to collect data of plants used for primary health care.