Total Phenolic, Flavonoid Content, and Antioxidant Activity of Selected Wild Edible Plants from Yemen

Currently, there is increasing interest in natural antioxidants as potentially beneficial agents for the prevention or treatment of many diseases such as cancer. Wild edible plants (WEPs) are safe and strong natural antioxidant herbs compared to the synthetic antioxidant compounds due to their traditional consumption by humans since ancient times in different countries. However, analytical studies determining the antioxidant compounds and antioxidant properties of WEPs are still limited. Therefore, this review aims to collect and study available information on the total phenol content (TPC), total flavonoid content (TFC) and antioxidant activity of WEPs, that shard their distribution in Yemen with other countries. It discusses the edible parts used of WEPs, their extraction solvents, analysis and evaluation methods of radical scavenging and reducing power for antioxidant activity. This review provides evidence that WEPs shared traditional uses in different countries with Yemen, are a phenolic-rich source with powerful antioxidant properties, which can be used as alternative natural nutraceuticals and medicines. Therefore, they hold promising potential for applications in the fields of food and pharmaceutical industry. However, the study showed that most of the WEP from Yemen has not yet been investigated and needs further analysis to identify their bioactive antioxidant contents and activity.