Objective: The study was conducted to investigate the phytochemical profile and the total antioxidant and free radical scavenging activities of Indian Medicinal Plant Hydnocarpus pentandra. Methods: Two different solvents such as ethyl acetate and methanol were used to extract the crude bio-active compounds from whole H. pentandra plant. The total antioxidant and free radical scavenging activities of H. pentandra extracts were measured by ferric thiocyanate (FTC), thiobarbituric acid (TBA) and 1, 1-diphenyl-2-picryl-hydrazyl (DPPH) methods. Results: Qualitative phytochemical analysis showed phenolics, carbohydrates, saponins and glycosides were in high amounts. In the bioautography, it was observed that the whole plant extract had free radical scavenging activity and thus a broad spectrum was obtained at the Rf of 0.77. In case of radical scavenging activity, methanolic extracts showed 44% efficiency and 66% for ethyl acetate which was adequately comparable to the radical scavenging activity of the standard a-tocopherol (84%). The Super Oxide Dismutase assay was also conducted for both the extracts and the ethyl acetate extracts (0.402) exhibited highest activity among the extracts which is closer to the activity of the a-tocopherol standard (0.632). Conclusion: Overall results concluded that the Hydnocarpus pentandra plant is a potent source of natural antioxidants. Further analysis on the mechanism of these antioxidants and other beneficial compounds from various plants are needed for a better understanding to implement them into functional foods. © 2013 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.