# Total Polypphenols and Antioxidant Properties of Selected Fresh and Dried Herbs and Spices
## 1 Introduction  
Reactive oxygen species (ROS), which includes oxygen free radicals, are formed in the body during its metabolism. Under the conditions of homeostasis, free oxygen radicals play the role of regulators of many processes taking place in cells [1]. Under physiological conditions, ROS is used by immune cells to destroy viruses and bacteria [2]; however, in the absence of physiological pro-oxidative- antioxidant balance, oxidative stress arises. In the human body, the toxic effects of oxygen metabolism are counterbalanced by the enzymatic and non-enzymatic systems, inhibiting the degree of molecule oxidation and converting ROS into their inactive derivatives [1; 2; 3]. The enzyme antioxidant system consists of a series of enzymes that work together to prevent damage to important cellular structures. The most important antioxidant defense enzymes include superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), glutathione peroxidase (GPx), and glutathione reductase (GR) [1]. The non-enzymatic antioxidant system consists of low molecular weight compounds of endogenous origin. These include blood plasma proteins, albumin, transferrin, ceruloplasmin, and ferritin. They work by binding transition metal ions such as copper or iron or donating their electrons to free radicals. The action of these two systems affects the total antioxidant potential of the body. In addition, this balance can be significantly influenced by antioxidant vitamins (vitamin C, E, \(\beta\)-carotene) and other compounds of plant origin, such as polyphenols, provided with the diet [4; 5]. In nature, polyphenols occur in fruits, vegetables, seeds, and spice plants. Herbs and spices have been used since ancient times to enhancethe taste and aroma of dishes. Over the years, their healing effects have also been known. In addition to their wide application in gastronomy and the food industry, they are also used in herbal medicine [6, 7]. The quantification of phenolic compounds in plants is important to evaluate the benefits of their antioxidant properties. Essential oils derived from plants and spices have gained importance as natural replacers of compounds of synthetic origin [8, 9, 10] such as BHT (Butylated hydroxytoluene), BHA (Butyled hydroxyanisole), TBHQ (Tertiary-butylhydroquinone), or PG (Propyl gallate). Herbs and spices contain a number of bioactive compounds responsible for the aroma, taste, and color properties, and most importantly for health-promoting properties. One of the bioactive ingredients of herbs and spices are antioxidant compounds mainly represented by phenolic acids, phenolic diterpenenes, and flavonoids, essential oils [7, 8, 9, 10, 11]. These products are widely used in gastronomy, herbal medicine as well as in the food and cosmetic industries [6, 8, 12, 13, 14]. In herbal medicine, spices and herbs have a number of therapeutic applications. Many of them regulate the functioning of the digestive tract. These products stimulate the appetite, increasing, among others, secretion of gastric juice--basil, tarragon, ginger, cumin, marjoram, oregano, rosemary, sage, thyme, lemon balm, parsley leaf, cayenne pepper, and black pepper [13, 14], stimulate intestinal peristalsis (basil, ginger), have a relaxing effect (garden savory, marjoram, oregano, rosemary leaves, sage, thyme), and prevent flatulence (white mustard, cumin, fennel fruit, lavage, lemon balm, sage) [7, 15]. Herbs and spices regulate blood pressure, lower total cholesterol level, reduce the risk of atherosclerosis, and have anti-diabetic properties (ginger, cinnamon, bay leaf, mustard) [16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22]. They are used as antiseptic, antiviral, antifungal, antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, painkillers (ginger, marjoram, oregano, thyme, rosemary, lemon balm, sage, cloves, parsley leaf, cayenne pepper) [23, 24, 25, 14]. Numerous studies also show the anti-cancer effects of herbs and spices [26, 27, 28, 29].