Catharanthus roseus (C. roseus) is an important medicinal plant distributed in many countries. It has attracted increasing attention due to it being shown to possess a range of phytochemicals with various biological activities such as antioxidant, antibacterial, antifungal, antidiabetic and anticancer properties. Remarkably, vinblastine and vincristine isolated from this plant were the first plant-derived anticancer agents deployed for clinical use. Recently, new isolated indole alkaloids from this plant including catharoseumine, 14′,15′-didehydrocyclovinblastine, 17-deacetoxycyclovinblastine and 17-deacetoxyvinamidine effectively inhibited human cancer cell lines in vitro. Moreover, vindoline, vindolidine, vindolicine and vindolinine isolated from C. roseus leaf exhibited in vitro antidiabetic property. These findings strongly indicate that this plant is still a promising source of bioactive compounds, which should be further investigated. This paper provides an overview of the traditional use and phytochemical profiles of C. roseus, and summarises updated techniques of the preparation of dried material, extraction and isolation of bioactive compounds from this plant. In addition, purported health benefits of the extracts and bioactive compounds derived from this plant were also addressed to support their potential as therapeutic agents.

Helicteres hirsuta Lour. (H. hirsuta L.) is widely distributed in southeast Asian countries and has been used traditionally as a medicinal plant. However, optimal conditions for preparation of dried materials for further processing and suitable solvents for the extraction of bioactive compounds have not been investigated. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of different extraction solvents and different drying conditions on the physicochemical properties and antioxidant capacity of the H. hirsuta L. leaves. The results showed that both extraction solvents and drying conditions had a significant impact on physicochemical and antioxidant properties of H. hirsuta L. leaves. Among the five solvents investigated, water could extract the highest level of solid content and phenolic compounds, whereas methanol was more effective for obtaining flavonoids and saponins than other solvents. The leaves dried under either hot-air drying at 80 °C (HAD80), or vacuum drying at 50 °C (VD50) yielded the highest amount of total phenolic compounds (7.77 and 8.33 mg GAE/g, respectively) and total flavonoid content (5.79 and 4.62 mg CE/g, respectively), and possessed the strongest antioxidant power, while leaves dried using infrared drying at 30 °C had the lowest levels of bioactive compounds. Phenolic compounds including flavonoids had a strong correlation with antioxidant capacity. Therefore, HAD80 and VD50 are recommended for the preparation of dried H. hirsuta L. leaves. Water and methanol are suggested solvents to be used for extraction of phenolic compounds and saponins from H. hirsuta L. leaves for the potential application in the nutraceutical and pharmaceutical industries.

This data article indicates the in vitro cytotoxicity of kaempferol and gallic acid across different cancer cell lines including A2780 (ovarian), H460 (lung), A431 (skin), MIA PaCa-2 (pancreas), Du145 (prostate), HT29 (colon), MCF-7 (breast), BE2-C (neuroblastoma), SJ-G2, U87 and SMA (glioblastoma). The dataset showed that the inhibitory activity of kaempferol was comparatively stronger than gallic acid. Thereby, kaempferol is offered as a potent anticancer agent for further investigation and beneficial as a dietary supplement. The data within this article relates to the research article entitled "Screening phytochemical content, antioxidant, antimicrobial and cytotoxic activities of Catharanthus roseus (L.) G. Don stem extract and its fractions" (Pham et al., 2018).

Herbal teas, which are a rich and diverse source of polyphenols, have been widely consumed due to their association with various health benefits. Preparation techniques can significantly affect the level of polyphenols in a cup of tea. Thus, this study investigated the impact of different preparation techniques, including brewing time in hot water, microwave-assisted extraction with cold and hot water (cold and hot MAE) for both radiation time and power, and laboratory testing condition on extractability of polyphenols in infusion from a teabag. The results showed that brewing time using hot water significantly affected the extractability of polyphenols and antioxidant activity. Cold and hot MAE conditions also significantly affected the extractability of polyphenols and antioxidant activity from a teabag infusion. Hot brewing at 7 min and cold MAE at full power with second boiled (1.93 min on and 1 min off radiation) are recommended for the preparation of herbal tea from a teabag, as these conditions had comparable extractability of polyphenols and antioxidant activity in comparison with other preparation techniques. There are over 20 major chromatogram peaks, of which 7 were identified as gallic acid, catechin, caffeic acid, ferulic acid, epicatechin gallate, quercetin, and kaempferol, revealing potential health benefits of this herbal tea.