Preliminary Phytochemical Screening, Quantitative Estimation of Total

This study designed to evaluate antioxidant activity, screen the existence of phytogenic chemical compounds and to determine the total flavonoid and phenol contents of the Ephedra alata. to prove its utilization in the Palestinian folk medicine for treatment of cancer. Total flavonoid contents of the plant were determined by using rutin reference standard method and total phenols determined by using Folin Ciocalteu method while antioxidant activity evaluated by using 2, 2-diphenyl-1-picryl-hydrazyl-hydrate assay.Phytochemical analyses indicated the presence of cardiac glycosides, reducing sugars, flavonoids, phenolic compounds and alkaloids. The total phenolic content in the ethanolic extract was 19.175 mg gallic acid while was the highest in the methanolic extract which was 47.62 mg gallic acid equivalent/g of extract powder. The total flavonoid content of the plant was 0.519 mg RU/g in the aqueous extract and 5.44 mg RU/g in the ethanolic extract while was the highest in the methanolic extract 54.66 mg RU/g. In the same time the E. alata methanolic extract showed that it has high antioxidant activity and powerful oxygen free radical scavenging abilities as well as the IC50 for the plant was almost equivalent to the Trolox standard antioxidant which justified its uses in the Palestinian traditional medicines and could represented as a good candidate for further biological and chemical analysis, and can be further subjected for isolation of the therapeutically active compounds with anticancer activity and also for furthe