Enhanced antioxidant effect a of herbal-nutrient complex including ascorbic acid and 'Polygonum cuspidatum' extract (containing resveratrol)

Evidence suggests that ingested antioxidants work best in combination. In this study we tested the hypothesis that a combination of 'Polygonum cuspidatum' (containing resveratrol) with ascorbic acid/ascorbate and flavonoids works better as an antioxidant than the equivalent amount of either ascorbic acid or resveratrol alone, or their theoretical combination. Using the model of free radical induced lysis of red blood cells it was established that the herbal- nutrient complex significantly delayed hemolysis (T₀ = 271 min) when compared to an untreated control (T₀ = 126 min) and either ascorbic acid (T₅₀ = 229 min) or resveratrol (T₀ = 131 min) alone. Significantly the theoretical additive effect of the ascorbic acid and resveratrol (T₀ = 234 min) was less than the observed effect from the herbal-nutrient complex (T₀ = 271 min), a 37 minute improvement. Similar results were obtained when evaluating the 50% hemolysis results, with an improvement in the T₅₀ of 33 minutes being observed. This in vitro study supports the concept of combining herbal extracts with nutrients in order to achieve more profound antioxidant effects than the additive effect of the individual chemical components.