Ravindra K N* and Sharanappa P
Cryptocarya stocksii Meisn. vulnerable evergreen tree grows in the Western Ghats of India. We investigated the chemical composition and antioxidant activity of C.stocksii leaves and bark oil in terms of ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) assay, scavenging of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radicals and inhibition of lipid peroxidation. GC-MS analysis of essential oil of leaves revealed the presence 43 compounds were identified in collective essential oil and 32 compounds in bark collective essential oil. Leaves oils were characterized by Nerolidol (23.09%), α-Pinene (12.58%), 3-Carene (11.5 %) and Camphene (8.14%), as the major compounds. The main compounds of Bark oil were Longifolene (54.4%), Carvacrol (29.6%), Nerolidol (2.5%) and Borneol (1.6%).The results showed that antioxidant activity of C. stocksii leaves and Bark oil was dose dependent and increased with increasing the essential oil concentration. The study concludes that C. stockii leaves and Bark contain terpenoid rich oil exhibiting antioxidant activity. This is the first paper reporting the antioxidant activities and chemical composition of the essential oils of this species. Keywords: Cryptocarya stocksii, Lauraceae, essential oils, Antioxidant activity, Longifolene.