Professional Documents
Culture Documents
ENHANCING PROPERTIES
Marco Valussi
Nutraceutical:
any substance that may be considered a food or a part of a food and demonstrates to have a physiological ... medical or health benefits, including the prevention and treatment of ... chronic disease ... sold in pills, powders, (potions) and other medical forms not
We
need terms derived from actual folk use, descriptive more than normative.
The
intersections between foods and medicines has been mapped and explored by recent ethnobotanical literature
1.High percentage of food plants used also as medicinal plants 2.Prevalence of medicinal plants (and, to a lesser extent, FF) used for GIT complaints 3.Significant segregation of GIT medicinal and FF plants into few botanical taxa
of
the
the role of coevolution and agricolture and questions the epistemic direction:
food then medicine or medicine then
Conservatorism
pharmacopoeias
of
traditional
Taxonomical segregation
Spices:
great economic and cultural importance. Contain volatile aromatic and pungent compounds (terpenes, shikimic acid derivatives, thioethers, isothiocyanates) and non volatile pungent compounds (acid amine group, like capsaicin and piperine).
Bitter receptors
Bitter taste universally recognized as aversive and related to the capacity to detect the presence of toxic substances (via oral and extraoral taste receptor type 2 - TAS2R). Examples
Pungent taste universally recognized as aversive, mediated by Transient Receptor Potential (TRP) channels:
Pungent receptors
Melastatin channel TRPM8 (menthol, 1,8-cineole) TRP activation: in general stimulation of gastric
Indirect effects
Essential oils
Perception of organoleptically salient compounds (EOs, pungent, astringents, etc.) alters the salivary volume and proteic composition of saliva There is a relationship between salivation and gastrointestinal motility during olfactory stimulation
Pepsinogen, gastrin and HCl secretions are influenced by cephalic olfactory stimulations
Direct effects
Pepsinogen, gastrin and HCl secretions are influenced by cephalic olfactory stimulations
Iberogast
Caraway (Carum carvi); A
Peppermint (Mentha xpiperita); A German chamomile recutita); A (Matricaria
Lomatol
Caraway (Carum carvi); A
Peppermint (Mentha xpiperita); A Fennel (Foeniculum vulgare); A
Gasex
Crowfoot (Aconitum palmatum); O
Mint (Mentha arvensis); A Black pepper (Piper nigrum); P, A
Clown's mustard (Iberis amara); B Angelica (Angelica archangelica); A Milk thistle (Silybum marianum); B Lemon balm (Melissa officinalis); A Celandine (Chelidonium majus); B
Ginger (Zingiber officinale); P , A Amalaki (Emblica officinalis); O Vibhitaka (Terminalia bellerica); O Haritaki (Terminalia chebula); O
O = other compounds
Bitter Artichoke Dandelion Milk Thistle Lemon Fennel Lemon balm Peppermint Chamomile
Hayek - Asteraceae
Bitter Artichoke
Dandelion
1 RCT:
1 RCT:
Fennel OE emulsion eliminated colic in 65% (vs. 23.7%) of infants mixture of Fennel, Chamomile and Lemon Balm effective for infantile colic in 85.4% of subjects (but Chamomile and Lemon Balm seem more important)
Dandelion, St. Johns Wort, Lemon Balm, Marigold effective in reducing palpable pain in chronic colitis
Human study: 180 mg EO reduced intraesophageal pressure Human study: EO delayed gastric emptying time and slowed
small intestinal transit time
RCTs:
Peppermint + Caraway EO combinatio produced smooth muscle relaxation of stomach and duodenum; improved symptoms of dyspepsia, reduced pain, sensations of pressure, heaviness and fullness, relaxing effect on the gall bladder.
RCT: mix of
Ginger
Zingiber officinale Roscoe -- Zingiberaceae Experimental Secretagogue (saliva, bile, pancreatic juices, gastric juices),
antiemetic, intestinal spasmolytic, gastric prokinetic.
antagonism. Binding to receptors in the signal cascade behind the 5-HT(3) receptor ion-channel complex, perhaps substance P receptors or muscarinic receptors. Partial activation of the 5-HT(1A) receptor.
antiemetic effect of ginger, since these receptors do mediate peristalsis and emesis
prokinetic, less after a meal. Previous clinical negative data on gastric emptying rate (low dose?) Ginger, Pinellia ternata, Citrus aurantium, Pachyma hoelen, Liquorice show intestinal antispasmodic activity
Capsicum annuum L. -- Solanaceae Hot pepper Main active chemical group: pungent alkaloids,
capsaicinoids
Milk Thistle
Silybum marianum (L.) Gaertn. -- Asteraceae Experimental: increase volume of bile. 2 RCTs on Iberogast (Iberis amara, Lemon balm,
Chamomile, Caraway, Peppermint, Liquorice, Angelica, Milk Thistle and Chelidonium majus): dyspepsia, reduced gastric acid, increased mucin, gastric mucosa protection.
Lemongrass
Cymbopogon citratus (DC.) Stapf. -- Poaceae Contains EO, triterpenoids and flavonoids.
Traditionally used as carminative, light sedative, analgesic, antiemetic, antispasmodic. data on antispasmodic and carminative. activity of EO.
Lemon--Verbena Aloysia citrodora Palau Verbenaceae Used as an aromatic ingredient foods and
beverages
Aniseed is characterized by its content in trans-anethole. No clinical evidence, limited experimental data: EO antispasmodics via Ca-channel blockage and the NOcGMP pathway.