Lemon balm and sage herbal teas: Quantity and infusion time on the benefit of the content

Sage (Salvia officinalis L.) and lemon balm (Melissa officinalis L) are important medicinal plants and their infusions (herbal teas) are the most common form of these plants consumed. In this study, herbal teas of both species cultivated and exported in Anatolia region were prepared using different infusion time (5 and 10 min) and sample amount (2 and 3 g). These herbal teas were analysed for their vitamin C, total phenolics, total flavonoids, total flavanols, free radical scavenging activities (1,1-diphenyl-2-picryl-hydrazyl and hydrogen peroxide), and also twelve minerals (K, Na, Mg, Ca, Fe, B, Ti, Sr, Ba, Li, Ag and Ga) were determined in each sage and lemon balm dry leaves as well as their herbal teas. Vitamin C in the herbal teas varied from 0.24 to 615.8 mu g/mL. Total bioactive contents of the herbal teas ranged from 76.4 to 215.4 mg gallic acid equivalents (GAE)/cup for total phenolics, 16.2 to 69.9 mg quercetin (QE)/cup for total flavonoids, and 363.8 to 906.7 mu g catechin equivalent (CE)/cup for total flavanol. The highest total bioactive contents and antioxidant activities were found in lemon balm herbal teas, and also in the herbal teas prepared with 3g sample amount and 10 min infusion time of both specie. As a result, the study also showed that the best sample amount in terms of the analysed minerals and vitamin C in herbal teas was 3 g for both species, but the best infusion time was 5 minutes for sage and 10 minutes for lemon balm.