The Chemistry inside Spices & Herbs: Research and Development – Volume II

The skin or dermis is the largest organ of the human body, having important functions, such as protection and thermoregulation. Skin-related diseases are an important public health concern. A variety of skin diseases like acne, eczema, psoriasis, dermatitis, and skin cancer affect a large group of people throughout the world. The innumerable etiological factors for skin diseases are bacteria, fungi, viruses, and protozoa infections, declining immunity, interaction with allergens, noxious substances, or infected skin of other person's and genetic factors. Many synthetic drugs in various dosage forms are available in the market to treat these skin conditions, but they are associated with certain drawbacks. The usage of medicinal plants for the management of various diseases is as ancient as mankind. Treatment of different skin diseases with herbs and natural products is an economical and safe option. Many plants like Aloe vera, Azadirachta indica, Curcuma longa, etc., are reported to have significant effects on various skin problems. The present chapter aims to provide detailed scientific information about the management of skin diseases by using drugs from a natural source. 

Curcuma longa L. frequently known as the Turmeric is a flowering plant belonging to the ginger family (Zingiberaceae). The rhizomes that grow below the ground are popularly used in cooking as a coloring and flavoring agent. Also, for ages, turmeric has been known for its medicinal properties, such as treatment of wounds, inflammatory conditions, arthritis, blood, gastric and hepatic disorders. The ethnopharmacology-based approach has shown that turmeric has a wide variety of bioactive polyphenols. Among them, curcumin, a yellow pigment predominantly found in the rhizome, has been extensively studied. Many preclinical and clinical studies have found that turmeric and its bioactive constituents possess multiple benefits in treating inflammatory conditions of the joints and arthritis. In this chapter, we compile the validated observations and discuss their mode of action that confers their beneficial effects.

Traditionally turmeric has been used as a spice and is part of regular diet in many parts of the world, and is employed as a medicinal herb in alternate systems of medicine. Recent studies on the beneficial roles of curcumin, the active ingredient and a potent phytochemical present in turmeric have shed light on the diverse roles it can play when used as an adjunct or as a therapeutic agent, along with its roles as a dietary flavoring agent. By virtue of its ingestion and ease of application as a topical agent intraorally, curcumin has been found to be useful while treating some of the common oral conditions, such as gingivitis, periodontitis, oral lichen planus, recurrent aphthous ulcerations, candidiasis and premalignant lesions, such as leukoplakia. This article looks into the chemoprotective and immunomodulant roles of curcumin in regards to oral diseases, and proposes the importance of naturally occurring phytochemicals in general health. 

Today, resveratrol is one of the highly investigated phytochemical in the world. Chemically, it is a stilbenoid present in high concentration in the grape skin and red wine. Structurally, it is a polyphenol and possesses two phenol rings linked by an ethylene bridge. Resveratrol, a phytoalexin, is produced by the plant as a defense mechanism against pathogens, including bacteria and fungi, and exposure to UV radiation and chemical substances. Numerous studies have shown that resveratrol possesses very high free-radical scavenging and antioxidant potential as a natural dietary ingredient. Resveratrol has also been reported to have anti-inflammatory and anti-apoptotic properties, and numerous preclinical studies have demonstrated it to possess great potential in preventing and/or slowing the breakdown of articular cartilage and extracellular matrix. Increased scientific attention has led to the validation of its biological activity and its ability to prevent or mitigate the process of osteoarthritis. This memoir looks into the origin, structure, and pathomechanism of resveratrol against osteoarthritis. 

Based on the usefulness and importance among the spices, black pepper (Piper nigrum L.) is commonly referred to as “The King of Spices”. It is valued for its flavor, aroma, nutritional, and medicinal uses. The value of pepper is owed to its pungency and flavor, which is attributed to the presence of a naturally occurring alkaloid known as piperine. The amount of piperine varies in plants belonging to the Piperaceae family; it constitutes 2% to 7.4% of both black pepper and white pepper. It has been confirmed from the scientific studies that piperine has many bioactive effects, such as antimicrobial action, as well as many physiological effects that can contribute to general human health, including immunomodulatory, hepatoprotective, antioxidant, antitumor, and many other activities. Clinical studies demonstrated remarkable antioxidant, antitumor, and drug availability-enhancing characteristics of this compound, together with immunomodulatory potential. All these properties showed the therapeutic potentials of piperine and the need to incorporate this compound into general health-enhancing medical formulations, as well as into those that would be used as adjunctive therapy in order to enhance the bioavailability of various therapeutic drugs. The present chapter accounts for an overview of the therapeutic properties of piperine, the bioactive constituent of pepper. It also focuses on methods used to extract piperine from pepper along with recent approaches for the enhancement of the bioavailability of piperine.

Since ancient times, Trigonella foenum-graecum (fenugreek), a plant from the legume family (Fabaceae), is one of the most popular spices worldwide. Medicinal benefits and properties of this plant have been recognized. Fenugreek has a long history as a remedy for diabetes mellitus with a known effective anti-diabetic plant. The studies indicated that T. foenum-graecum has several important biological activities, such as potent immunomodulation-associated anticancer and anti-inflammatory effects. Besides the healing properties, it is stated as a functional food for promoting well-being and a tasty spice often used in the kitchens and the industrial fields. However, to the best of our knowledge, no research has been done so far concerning this plant as a comprehensive literature search. In this chapter, we discuss how fenugreek may be beneficial in clinical and prophylactic health and what further research is necessary to understand whether regular consumption can contribute to healthy living generally

In the present pandemic, demands for natural herbs and spices have been surprisingly enhanced, and the reason behind enhancements in the demands of these spices and herbs are genuine because they have super immunity boosting capability, and they strengthen the human body against various diseases and pathogenic microbes. In this direction, Withania somnifera, also popularly known as ‘Ashwagandha,’ is one of the popular herbs known for its different medicinal values and various biological functions. This Ayurvedic herb is known for its potential anti-inflammatory properties, fatigue reduction, stress reduction, anticancer properties, and it is also helpful for diabetic patients, arthritis pain, and others. Due to lack of research and scientific evidence, there is no concrete information on the direct medicinal importance and use of this plant, but it has a historical pharmaceutical role in Ayurveda as traditional Indian medicine, and its medicinal impacts have now been proved via various pieces of research. This chapter concisely describes the various recent clinical aspects and pieces of research on this medicinally valuable herb. 

 Herbs have been an important part of Indian food since the times of Romans and are effectively used as a possible alternative for medicinal treatments. Basil (Ocimum basilicum) is one of such annual herbs cultivated for several millennia for its ornamental and therapeutic importance in Ayurveda and traditional Chinese medicine. This chapter distinguishes sweet basil O. basilicum from other species of genus Ocimum, providing a place of origin and botanical distribution along with historical significance. The culinary, cosmetic, and traditional medicinal uses of sweet basil are described, followed by the chemical composition of the different parts of the plant used. Different types of chemical constituents found in the plant include terpenoids, alkaloids, flavonoids, tannins, saponin glycosides, and ascorbic acid. Major compounds which have been observed to be present in higher amounts in essential oils or extracts from different parts of the plant include rosmarinic acid, linalool, eugenol, 1, 8- cineone, methyl eugenol, and anthocyanins. These compounds have been found mainly responsible for various bioactive properties such as antioxidant, anticancer, antimicrobial, antidiabetic, analgesic, anti-inflammatory, hepatoprotective, insecticidal activities, etc. This chapter has covered up-to-date information on pharmacological investigations of the herb and its health-related benefits. 

Various plants and shrubs with enormous medicinal values are easily found in India. These are mostly used in routine home remedies and the treatment of various diseases or ailments. Since the ancient era, medicinal plants are being used in various traditional systems of medicine to treat minor to major diseases or disorders. Considering their valuable contribution at various levels of treatment, these medicinal plants have gained importance and emerged as one of the most cost-effective remedies in the current health care system. Ayurveda, an ancient system of Indian medicine, has mentioned several important medicinal plants; out of all these, Terminalia chebula has owned its importance because of its phytoconstituents and potent action on enormous diseases. It is also an important part of Triphala churna, which is one of the important formulations in the Ayurvedic system of medicine. The current review focuses on the phytochemistry and pharmacological effects of Terminalia chebula. The literature search was performed using various datasets like EBSCO, PubMed, Scopus, ProQuest, and selected websites, such as the World Health Organization (WHO) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Terminalia chebula shows the presence of tannins like ellagic acid, gallic acid, ethyl gallate, chebulinic acid, tannic acid, chebulin, arjungenin, arjunglucoside I, terflavin A, punicalagin, and luteolin, which is mainly responsible for showing their pharmacological effects. The various parts of the plant have been reported for the treatment of various ailments. It has laxative, antiseptic, antidiabetic, and hepatoprotective properties. It is also used in the treatment of upper respiratory tract infections and bronchitis. Half ripe fruits are used as purgative and ripe fruit as tonic, astringent, antipyretic, expectorant, dyspepsia, diarrhoea, allergic eruptions, biliousness, cough, and leprosy. The dry powder form of fruit is used for emesis, hoarseness of voice, and worm infestation, as an anthelmintic, asthma, useful in hepatitis, eye diseases, and piles. Kernels of Terminalia chebula have been reported as anodyne. 
Kernel oil has been reported for its purgative action. Gum of the bark is a painkiller and laxative. In conclusion, Terminalia chebula contains important phytochemicals like tannins, gallic acid, and ellagic acid. These indicate that the plant and its different parts have a wide range of pharmacological effects. This book chapter provides detailed information on the recent studies for pharmacological activities of T. chebula and its active components.

Herbs and spices have been used as a source of medicine for the treatment of different diseases for thousands of years. Numerous pieces of evidence are available for the use of plants as a medicine in the treatment of diseases in the Indian, Egyptian, Chinese, Greek, and Roman systems of medicine. Biological diversity, such as herbs, spices, microbes, and other natural resources, has been explored, extracted, and screened globally throughout recent years. Phytochemicals are naturally available bioactive compounds that are derived from different plant parts and are primarily responsible for biological activities. Recent findings suggest that majority of phytochemicals have valuable therapeutic activities, such as anti-microbial, antidiabetic, anti-bacterial, anti-arthritic, anti-malarial, et al. The chemical information coupled with traditional knowledge and supported by other biological activities will add additional value for the development of effective herbal drugs.