Abstract
At present, there is increasing
interest in plant ingredients and their use in drugs, teas and food
supplements. The market for food supplements includes products that
contain a wide range of substances with nutritional or physiological
effects. The products broadly fall into two main groups:
vitamins/minerals and ‘other substances’ [including herbs and plants,
extracts of these, and a number of specific food components with health
effects (e.g., Coenzyme Q10, lycopene, lutein)].
The
dried unpacked herbs and food supplements most requested in Italy
during recent years have been those for gastrointestinal complaints.
Included in these products are herbs useful against abdominal pain
caused by infantile colic. Traditionally, fennel fruit and oil were used
to relieve gas, and treat stomach trouble and inflammation of the upper
respiratory tract. Recently, some literature data caused much concern
among Italian parents of infants and young children due to the supposed
risks related to the regular use of fennel tea for colic treatment. But
the concentration of fennel essential oils, and of estragole in
particular, within fennel infusions or instant teas for infants, is
1000-fold less in comparison to the maximum level of estragole accepted
as a food additive by European regulation. In some cases, according to
physicians, some herbal teas can be used also for infants. It is
important to take into consideration that the most suitable products for
babies would be instant teas, manufactured ad hoc according to the European law for baby foods