The chemical composition of the essential oil and antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities of the extracts from Piper miniatum were determined. GC and GC-MS analysis of the essential oil resulted in the identification of 64 components, accounting for 89.2% of the total. The major components were caryophyllene oxide (20.3%) and α-cubebene (10.4%). The antioxidant activity was evaluated by β-carotene/linoleic acid bleaching, DPPH radical scavenging and total phenolic content. In the β-carotene assay, the n-hexane extract showed the highest inhibition activity with 42.7%, while the oil gave 91.3%. The essential oil and extracts were tested for anti-inflammatory activity by using the TPA-induced mouse ear edema model and lipoxygenase assays. The essential oil exhibited significant activity in both models as an anti-inflammatory agent. The n-hexane extract showed strong activity with inhibition of 85.9% in the TPA-induced mouse ear edema model, while the chloroform extract showed the highest activity with 94.2% in the lipoxygenase assay.
