Abstract :
Antioxidants are compounds that are able to overcome oxidative damage
caused by free radicals. Phyllanthus niruri L. is a plant that is known to contain
flavonoids so that it has the potential to be an antioxidant. This research was
conducted to determine the effect of boiling time on the antioxidant activity of
Phyllanthus niruri L. Determination of the antioxidant activity of the herbal
meniran decoction was carried out through the free radical scavenger test of 2,2
diphenyl-1-2 picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and expressed by Inhibitory Concentration
50 (IC50). Boiling the herbs meniran is done using water solvent and the boiling
time used is 5 minutes, 20 minutes and 25 minutes. This time is used because
based on several previous studies it is the optimal time to search a sample with the
boiling method. In addition, people usually use traditional medicinal ingredients
by boiling and squeezing them with a water solvent. The three decoctions showed
strong antioxidant potential with the results of the antioxidant activity test in the 5
minute stew sample showing the smallest IC50 value of 76.4 ppm followed by 20
minutes boiling with an IC50 value of 80.37 ppm and the highest IC50 value of
94.33 ppm in the stew 25 minutes.