Abstract
A tea made of an indigenous South African plant athrixia phylicoides, a small shurb with aromatic silvery leaves and harvested in late autumn, is found to be suitable for commercial development. The National Research Foundation (NRF) has aimed to assess the feasibility of commercializing the plant product based on the determination of the chemical and pharmacological properties of the leaf infusions and decoctions. The Thin Layer Chromatography (TLC) method of qualitative anioxidant detection showed that athrixia contained at least eight antioxidant compounds in relatively high concentrations. The tea to be commercialized does not contain caffeine and athrixia leaves show some anti-inflammatory properties while the water extracts exhibit antimicrobial activity against various bacteria.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 47-49 |
| Number of pages | 3 |
| Journal | Food Science and Technology |
| Volume | 22 |
| Issue number | 1 |
| Publication status | Published - Mar 2008 |
| Externally published | Yes |
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Food Science