INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF PHYTOTHEARPY RESEARCH ISSN 2278 – 5701 1 www.earthjournals.org Volume 3 Issue 3 2013 Original Research Article QUALITATIVE ASSESSMENT OF ANTIOXIDANT POTENTIAL IN VARIOUS DOSAGE FORMS OF Terminalia arjuna UV Ramakrishna 1 , B. Dinesh Kumar 2 , A. Ravi Kumar 1 1.Department of Pharmaceutical Analysis & Quality Assurance, Bapatla College of Pharmacy, Bapatla. 2.National Institute of Nutrition, Tarnaka, Hyderabad ABSTRACT: Medicinal Plants, as a source of remedies, are widely used as alternative therapeutic tool for the prevention or treatment of many diseases. Our main objective was to evaluate the antioxidant activities of solvent extracts from Terminalia arjuna, and to choose a dosage form with promising activity for further studies. The antioxidant activity was assayed by DPPH (Free radical scavenging activity) and Lipid peroxidation method. KEYWORDS : Terminalia arjuna, Anti-oxidant potential INTRODUCTION Arjuna consists of dried stem bark of Terminalia arjuna, found as naturally growing plant in dense forests. SCIENTIFIC CLASSIFICATION Kingdom Plantae Division Magnoliophyta Class Magnoliopsida Order Myrtales Family Combretaceae Genus Terminalia Species T.arjuna The objective of study is to evaluate the anti-oxidant activities of various dosage forms of Terminalia arjuna, by employing DPPH radical scavenging activity method and Lipid peroxidation method. The thick, white-to-pinkish-grey bark has been used in India’s native Ayurveda for over three centuries, primarily as a cardiac tonic. Clinical evaluation of this botanical medicine indicates it can be of benefit in the treatment of coronary artery diseases, heart failure and possibly hypercholesterolemia. It has also been found to be antiviral and anti- mutagenic. Terminalia’s active constituents include tannins, cardenolide, triterpenoid saponins (arjunic acid, arjunolic acid, arjungenin, arjunglycosides), flavonoids (arjunone, arjunolone, luteolin), gallic acid, ellagic acid, oligomeric proanthocyanidins (OPCs), phytosterols, calcium, magnesium, zinc and copper.[1-4] MATERIALS AND METHODS Reagents used