Metabolite profiling and health benefits of Stachys cretica subsp. mersinaea as a medicinal food

The genus Stachys (Woundwort) is a widely used aromatic medicinal and functional food plant. Woundworts are consumed as vegetable, spice, and herbal decoction. Herein, different solvents and water extracts of Stachys cretica subsp. mersinaea were investigated for phytochemical contents, antioxidant and enzyme inhibition properties, and quantification of individual phenolic ingredients. Promising radical scavenging ability was recorded against DPPH (176 mg trolox equivalents/g extract) and ABTS (292 mg TEs/g extract) radicals. Also, high reducing power was observed in CUPRAC (256 mg TEs/g extract) and FRAP (236 mg TEs/g extract) assays. Extracts exhibited strong α-amylase (396 mg acarbose equivalents/g extract) and α-glucosidase (734 mg ACEs/g extract) inhibitory activity together with moderate inhibition of cholinesterases and tyrosinase. Reverse phase high performance liquid chromatography analysis indicated that hesperidin (25,770 μg/g extract), quercetin (7740 μg/g extract), kaempferol (5280 μg/g extract), and benzoic acid (3080 μg/g extract) were the most abundant phenolic compounds. The results showed that S. cretica subsp. mersinaea extracts have great capability for some applications as functional food, cosmetic, and pharmaceuticals.