# Antioxidant and Antibacterial Activity of Extracts from Selected Plant Material
## 3 Results and Discussion  
### Extraction Yield and Total Phenolics Content (TPC)  
The results of the extraction yield of the plant material used in the study are presented in Table 1. They ranged from 16.79 to 40.16%. The lowest extraction yields were found for extracts obtained from _A. europaeum_ herb, whereas the highest were from red raspberry leaves. The extracts obtained from white mulberry leaves, _G. urbanum_ rhizome and _A. archangelica_ root had similar extraction efficiencies with no statistical difference. In contrast, the aqueous ethanolic extracts from _C. incanus_ herb, _B. pendula_ and lemon balm leaves were obtained with 1.54-2.12 times lower yields than those obtained from red raspberry leaves. Considering leaves as part of the plant used in the extraction process, it was found that extracts from red raspberry leaves were obtained with the highest yield and those from _B. pendula_ leaves with the lowest yield. On the other hand, the preparation of extracts using the _C. incanus_ herb gave higher values of extraction yields than the preparation of extracts from the _A. europaeum_ herb. The differences in extracts' yields could reflect the effects of multiple factors, including the type of plant raw material used, its origin, the location where the plant material was collected, drying method, water content or the presence of many other accompanying substances frequently interacting with the extracted components. \begin{table}
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The content of phenolic compounds in the aqueous ethanolic extracts obtained from the plant material and determined using the Folin-Ciocalteu reagent are presented in Table 1. Our results indicate that the extract of _C. incanus_ herb contained the highest content of phenolic compounds, reaching a value of 363.61 \(\pm\) 2.29 mg GAE/g of extract and that the extract of _A. archangelica_ root contained the lowest (20.35 \(\pm\) 0.37 mg GAE/g of extract). In contrast to our study, [PERSON] et al. [35] and [PERSON] et al. [2] showed lower phenolic content in water infusions prepared from _C. incanus_ leaves. The differences may be due to the different preparation of the extract, the part of the plant material used and its origin and time of harvest. _Angelica archangelica_ is a member of the Apiaceae family and all parts of the plant can be used for pharmacological and food purposes, as well as in traditional and folk medicine as a remedy for fever, skin rashes or bronchitis [19; 35]. However, in the root and fruit extracts of _A. purpurascens_, almost twice as high a TPC content as in extracts from the aerial part was observed [36]. In turn, these values were higher than those obtained in the present work for the aqueous ethanolic extract of _A. archangelica_. The extracts that were also characterized by the high content of phenolic compounds were those obtained from _G. urbanum_ rhizome, red raspberry and lemon balm leaves. In the case of aqueous ethanolic extracts from red raspberry and lemon balm leaves, the TPC values were similar and amounted to 143.60 \(\pm\) 2.23 and 139.71 \(\pm\) 1.40 mg GAE/g of extract, respectively. In contrast, in the leaf infusions of _R.idae_ Glen Ample, Laszka and Radziejowa varieties growing in south-eastern Poland, the content of these biologically active compounds was lower and ranged from 18.2-27.3 mg/g d.w. calculated as caffeic acid [37]. In turn, the content of TPC in methanolic extracts of wild raspberry leaves from the central Balkan region was recorded in the range of 59.68 to 96.83 mg GA/g. The highest values of TPC were determined in samples taken from sunny localities, while the lowest values showed samples from shadowy sites [38]. The content of phenolic compounds in lemon balm extracts was influenced by both the type of solvent and the part of the plant used in the preparation. The TPC in the leaf extract (32.76 mg GAE/g dry material) was higher than that in the extract from stems (8.4 mg GAE/g dry material) [39].