Commiphora africana (A Rich) Engel., known as ‘African myrrh’, is a medicinal plant of the Burseraceae family, widely used in traditional Malian medicine. The aim of this study was to carry out phytochemical screening and to evaluate the antioxidant activity of the extracts. The plant material consisted of root bark and leaves. These parts were collected in Ségué, Bankass Prefecture, in the Mopti region of Mali. The extracts were prepared by reflux heating and Soxhlet extraction. Phytochemical groups were identified using tube colour reactions. The antioxidant activity was assessed using the DPPH free radical scavenging assay. Phytochemical analysis revealed the presence of various secondary metabolites, such as flavonoids, alkaloids, tannins, free quinones, terpenoids, sterols, triterpenes, anthraquinones and reducing sugars. The assessment of antioxidant activity indicated that the methanolic extract from both organs exhibited good antioxidant efficacy (IC50 = 0.61 mg/mL for the root bark extract and IC50 = 0.73 mg/mL for the leaf extract), which are higher thanthat of ascorbicacid IC50 = 0.05 mg/mL. Commiphora africana could be a promising natural source of antioxidants.
