## 4 Discussion  
Tea research is currently gaining worldwide attention and importance due to the presence of hundreds of critical therapeutic substances and antioxidants. The flavonoid and polyphenol compounds found in tea leaves have antioxidant properties as well as a wide range of other important biological activities [4,36]. The aqueous infusion of black tea showed a higher scavenging ability and antihaemolytic and anti-lipid peroxidation effects than OG. A similar result was reported in an earlier study [37]. The flavonoid content was higher for BT than OG, whereas higher phenolics were noted for OG than BT. The flavonoid content was greater in different unblended black teas (Kenya, Assam, China, Darjeeling, and Ceylon) than in blended black teas (Earl Gray and English Breakfast), chamomile tea, and fruit juices (apple and orange) [38,39]. In another report, black tea inhibited the copper-induced lipid peroxidation and formation of thiobarbituric acid (TBA) and expressed the dose-dependent protection against the 2,2\({}^{\prime}\)-Azobis (2-amidinopropane) (AAPH)-induced erythrocytes oxidative haemolysis [40].The fresh leaf (aqueous, methanolic, and ethanolic) extract of _Ocimum gratissimum_ manifested the highest phenolic content in comparison to the other _Ocimum_ spp. (_Ocimum americanum, Ocimum minimum, Ocimum citridorum, Ocimum lamilifolium,_ and _Ocimum selloi_) [41]. Modulation of the antioxidant potential was observed by altering the ratio of BT and OG in a binary mixture. A study reported that the combination of different herbs in various ratios can also affect the quenching ability [17,18]. The BT+OG combinations displayed antagonism to additive antioxidant interactions in various assays. It was found that variation in the antioxidant potential depends on the reaction rates of the antioxidants, the ratio of the bioactive compounds, and the effective concentration of the antioxidants at the site of oxidation [42,43]. BT+OG showed the maximum antioxidant potential and additive interaction at a 3:1 ratio (Figure 1, Table 1). The antioxidant interaction of a mixture of botanical (plant-based foods, herbs, or teas) might be influenced by the type of interactions (synergistic, additive, and antagonistic) among their phyto-constituents [13,17,18]. The interaction between the phytochemicals can be ascribed to their structural differences, the regeneration of less active antioxidants, the nature of the different radicals, the competition between the antioxidant regenerations, and the production of radical adducts [44,45]. The ternary combination of black tea with tulsi + ginger + black pepper in the ratio of 1:1:1:1 displayed the highest quenching ability compared to that of a single herb [15]. A study reported that green tea combined with _Ocimum gratissimum_ displayed the maximum synergistic interaction and the highest radical quenching effect at a 1:1 ratio, followed by 3:1, 2:1, 1:2, and 1:3 [19]. A study reported that green tea (alone) expressed the highest scavenging activity compared to oak and rosemary, while in the case of a binary mixture, green tea:rosemary:oak (50:50:50) expressed the maximum quenching ability compared to the other ratios (50:50:100, 50:100:50, 100:50:50, 50:100:100, 100:50:100, and 100:100:50). However, the combined extracts behaved differently after being combined, and all three types of interactions (additive, synergistic, and antagonistic) were observed [46]. The antioxidant