Medicinal plants or medicinal herbs have been identified and used since ancient times to improve the sensory characteristics of food. The main compounds found in plants correspond to four major biochemical classes: Polyphenols, terpenes, glycosides and alkaloids. Plants synthesize these compounds for a variety of purposes, including protection of the plant against fungi and bacteria, defense against insects and attraction of pollinators and dispersal agents to favor the dispersion of seeds and pollens.
Medicinal Foods as Potential Therapies for Type-2 Diabetes and Associated Diseases: The Chemical and Pharmacological Basis of their Action focuses on active pharmacological principles that modulate diabetes, associated risk factors, complications and the mechanism of action of widely used anti-diabetic herbal plants—rather than just the nutritional composition of certain foods. The book provides up-to-date information on acclaimed antidiabetic super fruits, spices and other food ingredients. Sections cover diabetes and obesity at the global level, the physiological control of carbohydrate and lipid metabolism, the pathophysiology of type-2 diabetes, the chemistry and pharmacology of a variety of spices, and much more. This book will be invaluable for research scientists and students in the medical and pharmaceutical sciences, medicinal chemistry, herbal medicine, drug discovery/development, nutrition science, and for herbal practitioners and those from the nutraceutical and pharm industries. - Provides background knowledge on type-2 diabetes and its pathophysiology and therapeutic targets down to the molecular level - Explores, in detail, the chemistry or secondary metabolites of the indicated foods that potentially modify diabetes and/or associated diseases - Examines the pharmacological findings on medicinal foods, including available clinical trials
Oncological Functional Nutrition: Phytochemicals and Medicinal Plants presents the anticancer activities, metabolism, mechanism of action, doses, and sources of various phytochemicals and medicinal plants. Broken into five parts, this book addresses cancer epidemiology, molecular and therapeutic bases of cancer, macro and micronutrients in cancer prevention and treatment, phytochemicals in the cancer treatment, and medical plants as potential functional foods or resources for the obtention of metabolites with anticancer activity. Written for nutritionists, food scientists, health professionals, oncologists, endocrinologists, natural product chemists, ethnobotanists, chemists, pharmacists, biochemists, and students studying relating fields, Oncological Functional Nutrition: Phytochemicals and Medicinal Plants will be a useful reference for those interested in learning more about functional nutrition and cancer. Discusses functional nutrition as alternative therapy Provides recommendations and intervention strategies related to the consumption of phytochemicals, food, and medicinal plants Addresses cancer epidemiology, the molecular and therapeutic bases of cancer, phytochemicals in the cancer treatment, and medical plants
The global popularity of herbal supplements and the promise they hold in treating various disease states has caused an unprecedented interest in understanding the molecular basis of the biological activity of traditional remedies. Herbal Medicine: Biomolecular and Clinical Aspects focuses on presenting current scientific evidence of biomolecular ef
This exquisitely detailed, full-color field guide provides the identification details and practical information needed to find and properly use many of the medicinal plants and wild plant foods that provide chemicals necessary for optimum health and disease prevention. The book takes the user from simple and familiar plants ones that are less common and more difficult to identify. Each of the 122 plant entries includes a color photograph, plant description, and location. Plants are grouped according to how common or rare they are, as well as to where they are found: prairies, woodlands, mountains, deserts, and wetlands. Relevant facts about each plant include toxicity, historical uses, modern uses, as well as wildlife/veterinary uses. Additional information featured in this extraordinary field guide: explanations of how each plant affects the human body; cultural and ethnic uses of medicinal herbs and cooking spices; others creatures who consume the plants; a list of most recommended garden herbs; web site resources, and much more.
Saponins are glycosides of triterpenes, steroids or steroidal alkaloids. They can be found in plants and marine organisms. Very diverse biological activities are ascribed to saponins and they play important roles in food, animal feedstuffs, and pharmaceutical properties. This volume provides a selection of recent work on saponins presented at a symposium in Pulawy, Poland, in 1999. Many different aspects are treated: analysis, separation, biological activities, relevant use in human and animal nutrition, and ecological significance. This book will be of use to researchers both in universities and industry.
This book continues as volume 2 of a multi-compendium on Edible Medicinal and Non-Medicinal Plants. It covers edible fruits/seeds used fresh or processed, as vegetables, spices, stimulants, pulses, edible oils and beverages. It encompasses species from the following families: Clusiaceae, Combretaceae, Cucurbitaceae, Dilleniaceae, Ebenaceae, Euphorbiaceae, Ericaceae and Fabaceae. This work will be of significant interest to scientists, researchers, medical practitioners, pharmacologists, ethnobotanists, horticulturists, food nutritionists, agriculturists, botanists, herbalogists, conservationists, teachers, lecturers, students and the general public. Topics covered include: taxonomy (botanical name and synonyms); common English and vernacular names; origin and distribution; agro-ecological requirements; edible plant part and uses; botany; nutritive and medicinal/pharmacological properties, medicinal uses and current research findings; non-edible uses; and selected/cited references.
Medicinal Plants for Holistic Health and Well-Being discusses, in depth, the use of South African plants to treat a variety of ailments, including tuberculosis, cancer, periodontal diseases, acne, postmacular hypomelanosis, and more. Plants were selected on the basis of their traditional use, and the book details the scientific evidence that supports their pharmacological and therapeutic potential to safely and effectively treat each disease. Thus, this book is a valuable resource for all researchers, students and professors involved in advancing global medicinal plant research. Many plants found in South Africa are also found in other parts of the world. Each chapter highlights plants from other worldwide locations so that scientists can study which plants belong to the same family, and how similar qualities can be used to treat a specific disease. - The book details the scientific evidence that supports their pharmacological and therapeutic potential to safely and effectively treat each disease - Each chapter highlights plants from worldwide locations so that scientists can study plants belonging to the same family, and how similar species can be used to treat a specific disease - Use of traditional medicine as an efficient means to identify and further investigate South African, similar plants and plant-derived compounds in modern drug discovery - Includes a number of chapters dedicated to using medicinal plants to treat various skin disorders, which is often not covered in other books on medicinal plants - Organized by specific diseases, with vital evidence-based data related to the bioactivity, pharmacological potential, chemical structure and safety information
The latest research on the health benefits and optimal processing technologies of herbs and spices This book provides a comprehensive overview of the health benefits, analytical techniques used, and effects of processing upon the physicochemical properties of herbs and spices. Presented in three parts, it opens with a section on the technological and health benefits of herbs and spices. The second part reviews the effect of classical and novel processing techniques on the properties of herbs/spices. The third section examines extraction techniques and analytical methodologies used for herbs and spices. Filled with contributions from experts in academia and industry, Herbs, Spices and Medicinal Plants: Processing, Health Benefits and Safety offers chapters covering thermal and non-thermal processing of herbs and spices, recent developments in high-quality drying of herbs and spices, conventional and novel techniques for extracting bioactive compounds from herbs and spices, and approaches to analytical techniques. It also examines purification and isolation techniques for enriching bioactive phytochemicals, medicinal properties of herbs and spices, synergy in whole-plant medicine, potential applications of polyphenols from herbs and spices in dairy products, biotic and abiotic safety concerns, and adverse human health effects and regulation of metal contaminants in terrestrial plant-derived food and phytopharmaceuticals. Covers the emerging health benefits of herbs and spices, including their use as anti-diabetics, anti-inflammatories, and anti-oxidants Reviews the effect of classical and novel processing techniques on the properties of herbs and spices Features informed perspectives from noted academics and professionals in the industry Part of Wiley's new IFST Advances in Food Science series Herbs, Spices and Medicinal Plants is an important book for companies, research institutions, and universities active in the areas of food processing and the agri-food environment. It will appeal to food scientists and engineers, environmentalists, and food regulatory agencies.
Based on 25 years of research that combed every historical and anthropological record of Native American ways, this unprecedented culinary dictionary documents the food uses of 1500 plants by 220 Native American tribes from early times to the present. Like anthropologist Daniel E. Moerman’s previous volume, Native American Medicinal Plants, this extensive compilation draws on the same research as his monumental Native American Ethnobotany, this time culling 32 categories of food uses from an extraordinary range of species. Hundreds of plants, both native and introduced, are described. The usage categories include beverages, breads, fruits, spices, desserts, snacks, dried foods, and condiments, as well as curdling agents, dietary aids, preservatives, and even foods specifically for emergencies. Each example of tribal use includes a brief description of how the food was prepared. In addition, multiple indexes are arranged by tribe, type of food, and common names to make it easy to pursue specific research. An essential reference for anthropologists, ethnobotanists, and food scientists, this will also make fascinating reading for anyone interested in the history of wild and cultivated local foods and the remarkable practical botanical knowledge of Native American forbears.
