## 3 Results and Discussion
### Antioxidant Activity and TPC of Samples  
The total phenolic content and antioxidant capacities of the studied samples were evaluated using the ABTS\({}^{\circ+}\), DPPH\({}^{\circ}\), and FRAP assays, with the results summarized in Figure 1. The highest TPC was observed in EBF (19.25 mg GAE/gdw), while the lowest was recorded for EBT at 17.25 mg GAE/gdw. Notably, there were no significant differences in phenolic content between EPF (19.09 mg GAE/gdw) and EPT (17.44 mg GAE/gdw). ABTS\({}^{\circ+}\) assay--BF demonstrated the highest ABTS\({}^{\circ+}\) scavenging activity, with a value of 40.90 umol Trolox/gdw, followed by EPF at 26.89 umol Trolox/gdw. Thorn extracts from both EBT and EPT exhibited comparative lower activities, recording values which showed values of 21.10 and 21.82 umol Trolox/gdw, respectively. DPPH\({}^{\circ}\) assay--No significant differences were observed among the studied samples (\(p<0.05\)), as all exhibited similar antioxidant activities, with values ranging from 41.39 to 44.73 umol Trolox/gdw. Thorn extracts from both species showed slightly lower activities, with EBT at 43.97 umol Trolox/gdw and EPT at 41.39 umol Trolox/gdw. FRAP assay--The results indicated a more pronounced variation in antioxidant capacity among the samples. EBF exhibited the highest ferric reducing antioxidant power, with a value of 87.53 umol Trolox/gdw, while EPF followed closely at 64.96 umol Trolox/gdw. The thorn extracts, EBT (37.89 umol Trolox/gdw) and EPT (38.30 umol Trolox/gdw), exhibited significantly lower activities compared to the flower parts (\(p<0.05\)). These data indicate that both species, particularly EBF, are rich in bioactive compounds and exhibited high antioxidant activities. The results of this present study demonstrate that phenolic acids and flavonoids are the major phenolic constituents in both species (Table 6) and that the levels of these compounds correlate strongly with antioxidant activity [35]. \begin{table}
\begin{tabular}{c c c c c} \hline  & \multicolumn{2}{c}{_E. billardieri_} & \multicolumn{2}{c}{_E. planum_} \\ \cline{2-5}
**Name** & **EBT** & **EBF** & **EPT** & **EPF** \\ \hline Total essential amino acids & 2106.8 & 3375.3 & 1334.2 & 1630.2 \\ Total amino acids & 4596.1 & 7132.3 & 4762.4 & 5479.9 \\ \hline \end{tabular}  
* Values are mean \(\pm\) standard deviation (n = 3). Different lowercase letters in the same row are significantly different (\(p<0.05\)); EBF: _E. billardieri_ flowers; EBT: _E. billardieri_ thorns; EPF: _E. planum_ flowers; EPT: _E. planum_ thorns. tr = trace amounts detected.  
\end{table} 
Table 7: _Cont._Previous research conducted by [PERSON] et al. (2014) reported the TPC of _E. billardieri_ extract to range from 10.71 to 33.38 mg GAE/gdw of extract, with antioxidant activity ranging between 17.25 and 51.63%. Furthermore, [PERSON] et al. (2014) investigated the effect of different drying methods on the essential oil content, total phenolic and flavonoid content, and antioxidant capacity of _E. planum_. They noted that total phenolic contents varied from 33.88 to 66.62 mg GAE/gdw of extract, and antioxidant activities were characterized by IC\({}_{50}\) values from 192.66 to 844.31 ug/mL across different drying methods. [PERSON] et al. (2014) reported a TPC of 29.0 mg GAE/gdw for the methanolic extract of the aerial parts of _E. planatum_, which is consistent with our findings. They also emphasized the potential of _Eryngium_ species as natural source of antioxidants. Following a comprehensive analysis of the chemical composition of the two studied species, some beneficial compounds, including essential fatty acids, amino acids, minerals, protein, phenolic compounds, organic acids, and volatile compounds were identified. In addition, our data showed that the flower part of both species possessed higher concentrations of useful compounds relative to their thorn counterparts. Therefore, to explore practical applications, we prepared herbal tea from flowers of _E. planum_ and _E. billardieri_.