Volume 4, Issue 1, January 2014, Pages 78–84
Document heading
Herbal antioxidant in clinical practice: A review
Abstract
Antioxidant-the
word itself is magic. Using the antioxidant concept as a spearhead in
proposed mechanisms for staving off so-called “free-radical” reactions,
the rush is on to mine claims for the latest and most effective
combination of free-radical scavenging compounds. We must acknowledge
that such “radicals” have definitively been shown to damage all
biochemical components such as DNA/RNA, carbohydrates, unsaturated
lipids, proteins, and micronutrients such as carotenoids (alpha and beta
carotene, lycopene), vitamins A, B6, B12, and
folate. Defense strategies against such aggressive radical species
include enzymes, antioxidants that occur naturally in the body
(glutathione, uric acid, ubiquinol-10, and others) and radical
scavenging nutrients, such as vitamins A, C, and E, and carotenoids.
This paper will present a brief discussion of some well- and
little-known herbs that may add to the optimization of antioxidant
status and therefore offer added preventive values for overall health.
It is important to state at the outset that antioxidants vary widely in
their free-radical quenching effects and each may be individually
attracted to specific cell sites. Further evidence of the specialized
nature of the carotenoids is demonstrated by the appearance of two
carotenoids in the macula region of the retina where beta-carotene is
totally absent.
Keywords
- Antioxidant;
- Carotenoid;
- Free-radical;
- Herb
- Foundation Project: Supported by Institute of Pharmacy, Bundelkhand University, Jhansi (U.P.), India(Grant number: BU/PHARM/02-13).
- Available online 28 Jan 2014
- Peer reviewer Shruti Rawal, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand. E-mail: shruti1485@gmail.com
- Comments It is a systematic review that clearly focuses on the clinical applications of herbs as antioxidants. Oxidative stress is being reported as the major hallmark in the etiology of chronic diseases such as diabetes, Alzheimer's disease, renal failures, cancer, etc.
- Details on Page 83
- Corresponding
author: Shashi Alok, Assistant Professor, Institute of Pharmacy,
Bundelkhand University, Jhansi (U.P.), India. Tel:
+91 9450036362
Copyright © 2014 Asian Pacific Tropical Biomedical Magazine. Published by Elsevier (Singapore) Pte Ltd. All rights reserved.
