Abstract In this study, the antioxidant activity of water and ethanol extracts from Hibiscus esculentus, Cirsium japonicum, Zizania latifolia and Kalopanax pictus for functional food source were examined. The optimal conditions for phenolic compounds extraction from medicinal plants were at 50% ethanol with Hibiscus esculentus and Cirsium japonicum var. ussuriense, at 40% ethanol with Kalopanax pictus and at 60% ethanol with Zizania latifolia. The total phenolic contents from the extracts of medical plants were determined to be 2.72~34.15 mg/g in the water extracts and 2.83~34.23 mg/g in the ethanol extracts. The electron-donating abilities (EDA) of the water and ethanol extracts were both above 74% at the low concentration of 50 μg/mL. The ABTS radical-cation decolorization was above 88% at 100 μg/mL concentration in all the extracts of various medicinal plants. The antioxidant protection factor (PF) in the water and ethanol extracts of the Cirsium japonicum var. ussuriense extracts was 1.73 ± 0.02 PF and 1.76 ± 0.01 PF at 50 μg/mL concentration respectively, and was higher than those of the other medicinal-plant extracts. The TBARs inhibition rates of all the medicinal-plant extracts, were above 80% at the 50 μg/mL concentration except Hibiscus esculentus. These results confirmed that the various oriental medicinal plants (Hibiscus esculentus, Cirsium japonicum var. ussuriense, Kalopanax pictus and Zizania latifolia) that were included in this study are useful anti-oxidant and functional-food resources.