## 1 Introduction  
Plants produce a plethora of bioactive compounds, known as secondary metabolites. These compounds protect plants against herbivores and pathogens without interfering with their normal growth and development. Secondary metabolites from natural sources are being studied for their possible pharmacologic activity. Among them, flavonoids and phenolic acids are of particular interest, due to their multiple pharmacologic properties [1; 2; 3]. The most well studied activity of these biomolecules is their antioxidant capacity, which is discussed in numerous scientific studies [4; 5]. Antioxidant properties of secondary metabolites are strongly related to the prevention and/or treatment of various disorders such as cancer, cardiovascular, neurodegenerative and age-related diseases [3; 6].  
In addition, emphasis is given to the possible therapeutic effect of natural products against metabolic disorders, such as diabetes, and skin hyperpigmentation disorders [7; 8; 9; 10; 11]. Current therapeutic treatment which uses synthetic formulations in order to encounter symptoms involving hyperglycemia and pigmentation abnormalities, is effective. However, many patients suffer from common or more severe side effects. Given this fact, scientists are in search of alternative active molecules that could be used instead or in combination with the already available treatment, in order to minimize undesirable effects.  
Various plants families have been studied for their potential pharmacologic activity. Among them _Ziziphora_ species have been investigated for their possible use as therapeutic agents. _Ziziphora_ are perennial herbs with fragrant leaves and are distributed in the Mediterranean area, Asia, North Africa and Turkey. _Ziziphora_ belongs to the _Lamiaceae_ family. Characteristic species of the Turkey flora are _Z. clinopodioides. Z. capitate. Z. persica. Z. tenuior. Z. taurica_ subsp. _taurica_ and _Z. taurica_ subsp. _cleonioides_[12].  
Regarding the chemical profile of the _Ziziphora_ species, much interest has been given to the study of the essential oil of the plant. Pulegone is reported as the compound found in abundance in many _Z. clinopodioides_ ecotypes [13]. In addition to pulegone also piperitone, 1,8-cineole, thymol, \(\beta\)-pinene and limonene have been reported [14; 15]. Apart from the essential oil, aqueous and organic extracts of _Ziziphora_ spp. have been studied in terms of their chemical composition. Bioactive compounds that have been identified in these extracts include flavonoids, phenolic compounds, caffeoyl derivates, sterols and fatty acids.  
Apigenin, chrysin, luteolin, acacetin and diosmetin are among the phenolic compounds that have been detected in _Z. clinopodioides_, which is also the most studied species [16; 17; 18]. Various studies focused on possible biologic activity related to the chemical profile of the plant. These studies include reduction of vascular tension [19], antidiabetic, antihypertensive, antioxidant [20] and anticancer activity [18].  
In particular, regarding _Z. taurica_ subsp. _cleonioides_, the essential oil of the plant has been investigated for its antimicrobial and antioxidant activity [21; 22].  
According to these studies, _Ziziphora_ species represent a valuable source of bioactive compounds and as a result may contribute to the ongoing therapeutic strategy regarding the use of natural products as therapeutic tools. However, regarding _Ziziphora taurica_ subsp. _cleonioides_ ([PERSON]) [PERSON] extracts, little research is available. Therefore, this study aims to investigate its biological activity against key enzymes related to metabolic and skin pigmentation disorders, i.e., \(\alpha\)-amylase and tyrosinase, to evaluate its antioxidant activity and to elucidate the chemical profile of the aerial part of the plant.