Potential health benefits of major seed spices

The seed spices constitute an important group of agricultural commodities and play a significant role in our national economy. Historically, India has always been recognized as a land of spices. The crops covered as major seed spices are coriander, cumin, and fennel are the member of umbelliferae and fenugreek is belongs to family Fabaceae. These spices are collections of a wide variety of volatile and non-volatile staple dietary additives. These spices have been known for ages as effective therapeutic food. The power of seed spices to impart biological activity is now slowly reemerging as an area of interest for human health. Seed spices produce numerous secondary metabolites or phytochemicals, these are naturally occurring, biologically active chemical compounds in plants, where they act as a natural defence system for host plants and that have historically been used as pharmaceuticals, fragrances and flavor compounds. They are a gold mine of possibilities in our search for beneficial bioactive compounds for pharmacology and other health related issues. Seed spices influence various systems in the body such as gastrointestinal, cardiovascular, and reproductive and nervous systems resulting in diverse metabolic and physiologic actions. Seed spices have a diverse array of natural phytochemicals that have complementary and overlapping actions, including antioxidant effects, Anticancer, Antidiabetic, Antimicrobial Activity, Hypolipidemic effect, Insecticidal, useful in menstrual disorders, helping in digestion, Hypertension, Modulation of detoxification enzymes, stimulation of immune system, reduction of inflammation, modulation of steroid metabolism and helps in improve other several human disorder. The present review is an effort to present a consolidated report on the current status of research related potential human health benefits of four major seed spices namely Cumin, Coriander, Fennel and Fenugreek.