Springer Antioxidant Properties of Spices, Herbs and Other Sources

The scientific world and modern society today is experiencing the dawning of an era of herbal medicine. Extensive research has shown that aromatic plants are important anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, anti aging and immune boosting delectable foods, with the magic and miracle to boost our immune system providing us with extended and an improved quality of life. Apart from making bland recipes into welcoming or interesting victories, herbs and spices have stirred the minds of the research community to look deeper into its active components from a functional perspective. It is essential to present the scientific and medicinal aspect of herbs and spices together with the analysis of constituents, its medicinal application, toxicology and its physiological effects. Herbs and spices with high levels of antioxidants are in great demand as they tend to promote health and prevent diseases naturally assuring increased safety and reliability for consumers. Herbs and spices are not only known for taste and flavor, but today research has opened up a new realm in which the antioxidant properties of these aromatic plants provide preservation for foods and health benefits for consumers who look forward to concrete scientific research to guide them further and explore herbal medicine. The aim of this book is to create awareness in society about the reliability of medicinal properties of certain herbs and spices through scientific and scholarly research. From the Back Cover Most natural antioxidants are common food components and have been widely used in diets for thousands of years. Recently, much focus has been given to the involvement of active oxygen and free radicals in aging and in disease processes like heart disease, inflammation, arthritis, immune system impairment and cancer. The importance of these antioxidants present in foods has been well appreciated for both preserving the foods themselves and supplying essential antioxidants in vivo. It is now widely accepted that the plant-based diets with high intake of herbs, spices, fruits, vegetables and other nutrient-rich plant foods help in reducing the risk of oxidative stress-related diseases. Plants have high concentrations of antioxidants, such as polyphenols, carotenoids, tocopherols, tocotrienols, glutathione, ascorbic acid and enzymes with antioxidant activity, which help to protect them from hazardous oxidative damage.   Humans have a long history of using herbs and spices in their daily life as medicine and food preservatives. Herbs and spices are great sources of antioxidants and recent research has focused on their antioxidant properties. However, there are other natural products such as cereals, nuts, oilseeds, legumes, vegetables, animal products and microbial products which can serve as rich sources of natural antioxidants. The beneficial influence of many foodstuffs and beverages, including herbs, spices, teas, fruits, vegetables, coffee and cacao on human health has been recently recognized to originate from their antioxidant activity.   The first part of the book describes the different methods used to measure antioxidant content as well as the various types of antioxidants present in different sources. In addition, the antioxidant properties of different sources are presented in great detail. The second part of the book consists of fifty-two chapters, where each chapter discusses one herb or spice, covering in detail botany, history, regions of production, flavor and aroma, parts used, preparation and consumption in different recipes, and functional and antioxidant properties.     Dr. Denys J. Charles is Director of Research at Frontier Natural Products Co-op, Iowa, USA. About the Author Dr. Denys J. Charles is Director of Research at Frontier Natural Products Co-op, Iowa, USA.