Local Mediterranean Food Plants and Nutraceuticals

Local Mediterranean Food Plants and Nutraceuticals

Author: Michael Heinrich

Publisher: Karger Medical and Scientific Publishers

Published: 2006-01-01

Total Pages: 199

ISBN-13: 3805581246

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

As a result of domestication - considered to be the most important cultural development of the past 13,000 years of human history - we depend today on a tiny number of domesticated plant and animal species for our food supply. Nevertheless, people continue to gather food which grows around their homes or they cultivate local varieties of food plants (as well as keep land races of domestic animals). Generally, wild varieties tend to be richer in micronutrients and bioactive secondary metabolites, which are produced in adaptation to local environmental conditions. These metabolites trigger further adaptive responses by producing 'protective', bioactive compounds which, when ingested, result in the transfer of protective effects to our organism. The preservation of local knowledge for future generations as well as the identification of new nutraceuticals by means of characterizing plant extracts with potential health beneficial effects are the main objectives of this book. The first part therefore focuses on the ethnobotanical study of local food plants in selected regions of the Mediterranean, i.e. their use as well as beliefs and cultural practices associated with it. The biological-pharmacological effects of these plants on selected (mostly in vitro) targets of the central nervous system and the cardiovascular system make up the second part, highlighting the potential of these plants for developing novel health foods, herbal medicines or local products with beneficial effects on health. Those interested in an integrated approach to the identification of new and health beneficial foods will undoubtedly find this book a valuable source of information and an inspiration for new scientific approaches to this age-old topic.


Growing Gardens, Building Power

Growing Gardens, Building Power

Author: Justin Sean Myers

Publisher: Rutgers University Press

Published: 2022-10-14

Total Pages: 251

ISBN-13: 0813589002

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Across the United States marginalized communities are organizing to address social, economic, and environmental inequities through building community food systems rooted in the principles of social justice. But how exactly are communities doing this work, why are residents tackling these issues through food, what are their successes, and what barriers are they encountering? This book dives into the heart of the food justice movement through an exploration of East New York Farms! (ENYF!), one of the oldest food justice organizations in Brooklyn, and one that emerged from a bottom-up asset-oriented development model. It details the food inequities the community faces and what produced them, how and why residents mobilized to turn vacant land into community gardens, and the struggles the organization has encountered as they worked to feed residents through urban farms and farmers markets. This book also discusses how through the politics of food justice, ENYF! has challenged the growth-oriented development politics of City Hall, opposed the neoliberalization of food politics, navigated the funding constraints of philanthropy and the welfare state, and opposed the entrance of a Walmart into their community. Through telling this story, Growing Gardens, Building Power offers insights into how the food justice movement is challenging the major structures and institutions that seek to curtail the transformative power of the food justice movement and its efforts to build a more just and sustainable world.


Nutrition, Health and Athletic Performance

Nutrition, Health and Athletic Performance

Author: Kelly Pritchett

Publisher: MDPI

Published: 2018-07-04

Total Pages: 529

ISBN-13: 3038426261

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

This book is a printed edition of the Special Issue "Nutrition, Health and Athletic Performance" that was published in Nutrients


Plant Extracts

Plant Extracts

Author: Raffaele Capasso

Publisher: MDPI

Published: 2021-04-29

Total Pages: 554

ISBN-13: 3039439871

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Plant extracts are widely used for therapeutic purposes. The vegetal origin of these products satisfies people’s desire to cure themselves with natural drugs; this aspect, together with effectiveness and regulatory opportunities, is the base of the broad modern use of medicinal plants. Traditional uses and novel biological effects allow the availability of an extraordinarily high number of different compounds with formidable therapeutic potential. Nevertheless, pitfalls are hidden behind poor pharmacological and toxicological knowledge of plant extracts, nonstandardized methods of extraction, and undefined and nonrepeatable qualitative and quantitative composition. In this context, novel experimental studies on plant products and appreciated and are necessary to reinforce the scientific soundness of phytotherapy. This book aims to respond to this medical need comprehensively highlighting the newest discoveries in vegetal resources with an emphasis on pharmacological activity.


Herbal Medicine: Back to the Future: Volume 2, Vascular Health

Herbal Medicine: Back to the Future: Volume 2, Vascular Health

Author: Ferid Murad

Publisher: Bentham Science Publishers

Published: 2019-07-17

Total Pages: 231

ISBN-13: 9811403732

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Herbal Medicine: Back to the Future compiles expert reviews on the application of herbal medicines (including Ayurveda, Chinese traditional medicines and alternative therapies) to treat different ailments. The book series demonstrates the use of sophisticated methods to understand traditional medicine, while providing readers a glimpse into the future of herbal medicine. The second volume in the series continues on the theme of the previous volume, focusing on herbal remedies for cardiovascular health. The topics included in this volume are: · Plants used for treating cardiovascular diseases in the Iberian Peninsula and Balearic Islands · Herbal products for treating hypertension and hyperlipidemia · Medicinal plants and the Mediterranean diet for treating obesity related cardiovascular disorders · Traditional Indian cardiovascular medicine This volume is essential reading for all researchers in the field of ethnobotany, natural product chemistry, nutrition and pharmacology. Medical professionals involved in cardiology and internal medicine who seek to improve their knowledge about herbal medicine and alternative therapies will also benefit from the contents of the volume.


Beta maritima

Beta maritima

Author: Enrico Biancardi

Publisher: Springer Nature

Published: 2019-11-27

Total Pages: 301

ISBN-13: 3030287483

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

This book, now in its second edition, provides researchers and operators a complete description of all aspects regarding the wild ancestor of sugar beet. The possibility of crossing modern crops with the ancestors from which they are derived in order to recover some traits lost through domestication is increasingly attracting interest. The selective process implemented by the first growers led to the elimination of features not considered useful at the time. Yet some of these lost traits have now become very important. In fact, in many areas sugar beet cultivation would now be impossible without the transfer of some genetic resistances from Beta maritima, the crop’s ancestor. Moreover, the isolation of such traits is becoming increasingly critical with regard to current and future environmental and economic considerations on e.g. the use of pesticides. This second edition replaces certain photographs and has been updated to reflect the latest advances and findings. One chapter and several sections have been rewritten, and significant revisions have been made throughout the text. The new techniques provide breeders with massively improved analytical means for the safest and fastest selection procedures. Not only will these techniques allow Beta maritima to take on a far greater role as a source of favorable traits; the relative ease with which these characteristics can be transferred will also make it possible to use the germplasm of the whole genus Beta and Patellifolia, which to date has been highly complex, if not impossible, due to the difficulties of hybridization.


Plant Biodiversity and Genetic Resources

Plant Biodiversity and Genetic Resources

Author: Andreas W. Ebert

Publisher: MDPI

Published: 2021-06-18

Total Pages: 672

ISBN-13: 3036508945

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

The papers included in this Special Issue address a variety of important aspects of plant biodiversity and genetic resources, including definitions, descriptions, and illustrations of different components and their value for food and nutrition security, breeding, and environmental services. Furthermore, comprehensive information is provided regarding conservation approaches and techniques for plant genetic resources, policy aspects, and results of biological, genetic, morphological, economic, social, and breeding-related research activities. The complexity and vulnerability of (plant) biodiversity and its inherent genetic resources, as an integral part of the contextual ecosystem and the human web of life, are clearly demonstrated in this Special Issue, and for several encountered problems and constraints, possible approaches or solutions are presented to overcome these.


Ethnomedicine: A Boon of Nature

Ethnomedicine: A Boon of Nature

Author: Dr. Keshamma E.

Publisher: Priya Lokare

Published: 2022-03-23

Total Pages: 124

ISBN-13:

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Ethnic medicine is the evaluation or combination of medicines common in the face of biologically active mixtures of plants and organisms. It is practiced by different ethnic groups, especially those who readily accept Western orders, such as B. Indigenous groups. These customs often collaborate with insects in Africa, America, or worldwide. The term folk medicine is sometimes used interchangeably with traditional medicine. Ethnomedical research is interdisciplinary; in its investigation of conventional prescriptions, it applies ethnobotany and clinical human studies strategies. Frequently, the medication customs it studies are saved simply by oral practice. Regularly these practices establish critical connections with bugs also. Logical ethnomedical studies show either anthropological examination or medication disclosure research. Anthropological investigations look at the social insight and set of conventional medication. Ethnomedicine has been utilized as a beginning stage in drug disclosure, explicitly those using reverse pharmacological methods. Ethnic medicine is a term that refers to a wide range of medical care frameworks, plans, practices, beliefs, and treatment practices that result from the local social transformation of events. Ethnomedicine is also interpreted as examining these frameworks and procedures, rather than understanding them in an anthropological setting, rather than evaluating their adequacy using rational strategies. In any case, such medical care frameworks don't follow the design of present-day or Western medication. All things being equal, these medical care rehearses depend on the one-of-a-kind culture that has emerged from local and native gatherings of individuals. Ethnomedicine isn't restricted to the conspicuous things, such as utilizing native plants and fixings to treat the wiped out.


European Nutrition and Health Report 2009

European Nutrition and Health Report 2009

Author: I. Elmadfa

Publisher: Karger Medical and Scientific Publishers

Published: 2009-09-23

Total Pages: 427

ISBN-13: 3805592973

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

The main objective of the report at hand was to gather available and authorized data, both published and unpublished, on the nutrition and health situation in the countries of the European Union (EU). Whereas the first report, released in 2004, included 13 EU member states and Norway, the 2009 edition covers 24 EU member states and Norway. For the collection of data, the researchers concentrated on the following points: The description of trends in food supply in the EU, focusing also on the different regions; the comparison of average daily individual food availability at household level; the evaluation of individual food consumption and energy and nutrient intake; the description of data on diet-related health indicators and status; and the analysis of food and nutrition policies in countries of the European Union. Throughout, the impact of age and gender is emphasized, and special attention is being paid to the different regions of the EU. The broad scope of the subjects covered and the improved quality of the data collected make the European Nutrition and Health Report 2009 an accurate documentation and sound source of information. Providing a basis for the work of the institutions responsible for health and nutrition policy, it is especially suitable for use in international comparisons of the nutrition and health situation.


Berries and Berry Bioactive Compounds in Promoting Health

Berries and Berry Bioactive Compounds in Promoting Health

Author: Dorothy Klimis-Zacas

Publisher: Royal Society of Chemistry

Published: 2022-06-01

Total Pages: 417

ISBN-13: 1839162163

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

This comprehensive book brings together international experts to review state-of-the-art research findings on the exponentially growing area of berries and berry bioactive compounds in promoting health.