Role of Spices in Preventing Chronic Problems: A Review

The traditional healthcare system i. e., ethnomedicine is gaining popularity now a days in combating chronic health problems. Use of herbs, spices and plants present in nature is widely used since ancient times and is passed on from one generation to other. These plants provide us with a large range of bioactive constituents that make them suitable to be used in the pharmaceutical industry. Plants contain various photochemical which play a major role in reducing or preventing occurrence of many diseases enhancing various organ functions of the human body, by acting as antioxidants or by supplying necessary nutrients. It has been proven that many traditional healing herbs and their parts possess medicinal value and can be used to prevent, alleviate or cure several human diseases [1]. It is reported that 70– 80% of people worldwide rely mainly on traditional, largely herbal medicine to meet their primary healthcare needs [2]. For patients with systolic hypertension, congestive heart failure, angina pectoris, cerebral insufficiency, atherosclerosis and venous insufficiency, plant based treatments have been used. The effectiveness of plant sterols and stanols for lowering cholesterol and as such, reducing the chances for heart disorders has been proven. Health authorities are also paying attention to use herbal medicines. It has also been observed that a number of modern drugs have been derived from plants used by the indigenous people [3]. Many herbs and spices are used in Indian cooking, like garlic, ginger, turmeric, clove, cardamom, cumin, coriander, cinnamon, fenugreek, fennel, ajowan (ajwain), anise, amchur, bay leaf, hing (asafoetida) etc. Ayurvedic medicine uses all of these either in diet or as a medicine.