Asparagus cochinchinensis (Loureiro) Merrill is a flowering plant used in traditional medicine as a remedy against sepsis, fever, and other inflammatory diseases.

Nadira Binte Samad and colleagues, Konkuk University, Korea, revealed that aqueous extracts of Asparagus cochinchinensis dried roots are an important source of antioxidants. The researchers demonstrated that phenolic and flavonoid compounds, plants’ secondary metabolites endowed of good antioxidant properties, are highly concentrated in A. cochinchinensis extracts (459 ± 1 μg gallic acid equivalent/g dry mass and 642 ± 4 μg catechin equivalent/g dry mass, respectively). As a consequence, these extracts were able to scavenge harmful free radicals such as hydroxyl, nitrite and 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl.

• Phenolic Contents, Antioxidant and Anti-inflammatory Activities of Asparagus cochinchinensis (Loureiro) Merrill,
  Nadira Binte Samad, Trishna Debnath, Md. Abul Hasnat, Mehnaz Pervin, Da Hye Kim, Jeong Eun Jo, Sa Ra Park, Beong Ou Lim,
  J. Food Biochem. 2013.
  DOI: 10.1111/jfbc.12028