Reviews
Potential Herbs and Herbal Nutraceuticals: Food Applications and Their Interactions with Food Components
- DOI:
- 10.1080/10408398.2011.649148
pages 94-122
- Accepted author version posted online: 24 Jun 2013
Abstract
Since
ancient times, herbs have been used as natural remedies for curing many
physiological disorders. Traditional medicinal literature appreciated
their value as nature's gift to mankind for the healing of illnesses.
Some of the herbs have also been used for culinary purposes, and few of
them have been used in cheese manufacture both as coagulating agents and
flavor ingredients. Scientific investigations regarding biological
activity and toxicity of chemical moieties present in many herbs have
been carried out over a period of time. Consequently, literature related
to the use of herbs or their functional ingredients in foods and their
interaction with food constituents has been appearing in recent times.
This article presents the information regarding some biologically active
constituents occurring in commonly used herbs, viz., alkaloids,
anthraquinones, bitters, flavonoids, saponins, tannins, and essential
oils, their physiological functionalities, and also the description of
few herbs of importance, viz., Asparagus racemosus, Withania somnifera,
Bacopa monniera, Pueraria tuberose, Emblica officinalis, Terminalia
chebula, Terminalia belerica, Terminalia arjuna, and Aloe vera, in terms
of their chemical composition, biological functionality, and toxicity.
This article also reviews the use of herbs and their active ingredients
in foods and their interactions with different food constituents.
