Project description:Nipa palms, a plant species in mangrove forest, are valuable and beneficial for the local community's economy as well as the conservation in the southern region of Thailand. This study aimed to investigate the use of nipa palms in Khanap Nak and focused on the type of products made from nipa palms and the yield of this plant through focus group discussion and interview with the farmers maintaining nipa palm forest. The results suggested that nipa palms in Khanap Nak can yield for 5–100 years. Apart from the benefits to the community in terms of sustainability, as it prevents erosion, it provides sources for the production of food (molasses, granulated sugar, syrup, and vinegar from sap) and raw materials (roofing material and cigarette paper from leaves and stem), which can generate income to community members. It was found that most of the communities earn 90–130 USD/day from palm sugar production. The quantity of nipa palm products varies in each season, resulting in different prices. In this regard, they can produce high quantity of products made from sap from January to March. However, the production of different types of sugar requires local knowledge and wisdom to ensure good quality. Nipa palm production is the sustainable way to utilize mangrove forest resources, leading to effective conservation and good life quality. Regarding problems and difficulties in farming, it was found that natural disaster is a major threat, such as drought, excessive amount of salt or freshwater in certain periods, and insect pests.
Project description:This study investigates the antioxidant properties of Chrysojasminum fruticans (L.) Banfi through a series of assays to measure the total phenolic content (TPC), total flavonoid content (TFC), and free radical scavenging activity using the 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) assay, to ensure that it can be used as an antioxidant drug. The TPC, TFC and DPPH assay were performed using spectrophotometric method, and in terms of a linear standard curve for gallic acid, Quercetin, Vitamin C respectively. The. aqueous extract of the flowers exhibited the highest concentration of phenolics, reaching 81.9 mg GAE (Gallic Acid Equivalent) per gram of (Dry Extract) DE, Conversely the ethanolic extract from the fruits demonstrated the lowest phenolic content, with a mere 0.249 (mg GAE/g DE). the aqueous flower extract demonstrated the highest flavonoid concentration, achieving an impressive 113.584 mg quercetin equivalents per gram of DE (mg QUE/g DE). In contrast, the methanolic fruit extract exhibited the lowest flavonoid concentration, measured at a mere 0.695 (mg QUE/g DE). Additionally, the methanolic flower extract demonstrated superior free radical scavenging activity, requiring only 0.348 mg/mL to inhibit 50 % of DPPH radicals, Conversely, the methanolic fruit extract exhibited the least antioxidant activity, as reflected by its highest IC50 value of 1.996 mg/mL. These results underscore Chrysojasminum fruticans (L.) Banfi potent antioxidant capacity and its established role in traditional medicine practices globally, and encourage to be included as a drug contributing to the treatment of many chronic diseases such as diabetes and cardiovascular diseases, after conducting the necessary clinical studies.