Frontiers | Dietary Supplements, Botanicals and Herbs at The Interface of Food and Medicine

Editorial04 July 2022

Editorial: Dietary Supplements, Botanicals and Herbs at the Interface of Food and Medicine

Alessandra Durazzo, Massimo Lucariniand Michael Heinrich

The Research Topic "Dietary Supplements, Botanicals and Herbs at The Interface of Food and Medicine" provide a brief and up to date picture.The focus of this Research Topic has been the relationship between dietary supplements, traditional medicinal plants, herbal medicines, and health foods from a global and interdisciplinary perspective with the aim of understanding their potential health benefits.The use of herbs and medicinal plants in new formulations of dietary supplements was explored. The beneficial properties of medicinal plants (often ones currently restricted to one country or region) trigger interest in the possibility of developing novel nutraceutical formulations, which can help to support health conditions reducing the need for pharmacological interventions, in particular for individuals who do not qualify for conventional drug-based treatment. The following area were here explored: i)Interdisciplinary approaches using emerging and innovative techniques with chemometrics on dietary supplements in different applications such as: the production of quantified (or standardized) formulations, authentication of individual herbs, monitoring of the quality of herbs and herb medicines, detection of adulteration or contamination of herbs in the perspective of metrology approach; ii)Studies on the description and use of bioactive compounds i.e. antioxidants in medicinal plants as well as on physiological mechanism and bioaccessibility of compounds; iii)The application of nanotechnologies for developing novel plant-based products with improved bioavailability, solubility, and efficacy; iv)Studies of medicinal plants using 'large data' e.g. extracted from healthcare or other databases e.g. dietary supplement ones, including the application of classification systems, harmonization, and coding procedures; v)Investigations on the functional/nutraceutical characteristics of foods in order to integrate intrinsic nutritional properties;vi)The use of food waste as a sustainable alternative source of biologically active compounds 38 for botanicals. 39The papers published cover an exciting range of themes within this fast evolving area of research. 40The strict linkage of territory, medicinal plants and health was underlined in this Research Topic.

4,036 views

11 citations

ORIGINAL RESEARCH

30 March 2022

Traditional Dietary Knowledge of a Marginal Hill Community in the Central Himalaya: Implications for Food, Nutrition, and Medicinal Security

S. N. Ojha, 2 more and Deepshikha Arya

6,952 views

22 citations

ORIGINAL RESEARCH

8 March 2022

Moringa oleifera Seed at the Interface of Food and Medicine: Effect of Extracts on Some Reproductive Parameters, Hepatic and Renal Histology

Alfred F. Attah, 4 more and Jones O. Moody

6,772 views

19 citations

REVIEW

9 March 2022

Prunus mira Koehne in Sichuan, China: Recorded History as a Medicine and Food, Modern Applications, Distribution, and Ethnobotanical Investigations

Jingwen Zhang, 10 more and Zhang Wang

8,277 views

12 citations

ORIGINAL RESEARCH

18 February 2022

Ethnobotanical Survey on Bitter Tea in Taiwan

Jung Chao, 5 more and Shyh-Shyun Huang

9,507 views

5 citations

Citrullus colocynthis (L.) Schrad (Bitter Apple Fruit): Promising Traditional Uses, Pharmacological Effects, Aspects, and Potential Applications

REVIEW

25 January 2022

Citrullus colocynthis (L.) Schrad (Bitter Apple Fruit): Promising Traditional Uses, Pharmacological Effects, Aspects, and Potential Applications

Qin-Yuan Li, 8 more and Chang-Xing Li

Health consciousness and an increase in knowledge about the side effects of synthetic drugs tend to further enhance the interest in traditional medicines. Medicinal plants help to cure diseased conditions for further improved living, so the importance of the ethnomedicinal study was realized by the population and more use of herb-based medicines has come in demand for further use. Citrullus colocynthis is an herbaceous plant packed with an abundance of nutrients that play a key role in the improvement of wellbeing. C. colocynthis was found to have many biological effects such as antioxidant, hypoglycemic, antibacterial, anticancer, anti-inflammatory, analgesic, gastrointestinal tract, reproduction, protection, anti-microbial, antidiabetic, hypolipidemic, antineoplastic, profibrinolytic, analgesic, anti-allergic, pesticidal and immune-stimulant activity. There are numerous bioactive compounds like cucurbitacin, flavonoids, and polyphenols present in C. colocynthis which are further responsible for medicinal properties. Fewer data about its use and inclusion level on human and poultry studies need to be debated. Owing to the confined data about the use of C. colocynthis in animals especially poultry, it is the first reassessment to propose C. colocynthis plant and its extract for use in the poultry industry and to expose the vital importance of C. colocynthis for human health. Hence, the goal of this study was to draw out information on the useful health component of C. colocynthis as well as to appeal to the interest of researchers of medical fields, veterinarians, and poultry nutritionists in the direction of the significance of C. colocynthis in humans, veterinary and poultry.

54,690 views

70 citations

REVIEW

7 February 2022

Buchu (Agathosma betulina and A. crenulata): Rightfully Forgotten or Underutilized?

Thomas Brendlerand Mona Abdel-Tawab

26,968 views

25 citations

SYSTEMATIC REVIEW

20 January 2022

Neglected and Underutilised Crops: A Systematic Review of Their Potential as Food and Herbal Medicinal Crops in South Africa

Fhatuwani Nixwell Mudau, 2 more and Tafadzwanashe Mabhaudhi

The African continent harbours many native species with nutraceutical and pharmaceutical potential. This study reviewed underutilised crops in South Africa to determine their potential as food and herbal medicinal crops. Over 5000 species have been identified and earmarked for their medical attributes in formal and informal setups. Researchers, plant breeders and policymakers have mostly ignored the development potential of these crops. Consequently, their value chains are poorly developed. In South Africa, there is a wide range of neglected and underutilised crops, which were historically popular and used by communities; however, over the years, they have lost their status within farming systems and been relegated to the status of neglected and underutilised. Recently, driven by the need to transition to more sustainable and resilient food systems, there has been renewed interest in their potential as food and herbal medicinal crops to establish new value chains that include vulnerable groups. They are now gaining global attention, and their conservation and sustainable utilisation are now being prioritized. The review confirmed that several of these crops possess nutraceutical and pharmaceutical properties, highlighting their potential for development as food and herbal medicines. However, current production levels are too low to meet the requirements for industrial development; research and development should focus on all aspects of their value chain, from crop improvement to utilisation. A transdisciplinary approach involving a wide range of actors is needed to develop the identified neglected and underutilised crops’ potential as food and herbal medicinal crops and support the development of new and inclusive value chains.

24,766 views

95 citations

ORIGINAL RESEARCH

17 January 2022

Phytochemical Analysis, Antioxidant and Bone Anabolic Effects of Blainvillea acmella (L.) Philipson

Rohanizah Abdul Rahim, 10 more and Isa Naina Mohamed

6,864 views

19 citations

REVIEW

17 January 2022

Culinary Spices in Food and Medicine: An Overview of Syzygium aromaticum (L.) Merr. and L. M. Perry [Myrtaceae]

Gloria Aderonke Otunola

15,926 views

52 citations

ORIGINAL RESEARCH

17 January 2022

Phytochemical Studies on Two Unexplored Endemic Medicinal Plants of India, Barleria terminalis and Calacanthus grandiflorus

Shreedhar S. Otari, 2 more and Savaliram G. Ghane

7,699 views

13 citations

REVIEW

11 January 2022

Analytical Challenges and Metrological Approaches to Ensuring Dietary Supplement Quality: International Perspectives

Alessandra Durazzo, 15 more and Johanna T. Dwyer

16,641 views

44 citations

ORIGINAL RESEARCH

10 January 2022

Ethnobotanical Documentation of Medicinal Plants Used by the Indigenous Panay Bukidnon in Lambunao, Iloilo, Philippines

Cecilia Salugta Cordero, 1 more and Grecebio Jonathan Duran Alejandro

The Panay Bukidnon is a group of indigenous peoples living in the interior highlands of Panay Island, in Western Visayas, Philippines. Little is known about their ethnopharmacological knowledge due to limited written records and no recent research has been conducted on the medicinal plants they used in ethnomedicine. This study aims to document the medicinal plants used by the indigenous Panay Bukidnon in Lambunao, Iloilo, Panay Island. A total of 131 medicinal plant species distributed in 121 genera and 57 families were used to address 91 diseases in 16 different use or disease categories. The family Fabaceae was best represented with 13 species, followed by Lamiaceae with nine species, and Poaceae with eight species. The leaf was the most frequently used plant part and decoction was the most preferred form of preparation. To evaluate the plant importance: use value (UV), relative frequency citation (RFC), informant consensus factor (ICF), and fidelity level (FL) were used. Curcuma longa L. had the highest UV (0.79), Artemisia vulgaris L. had the highest RFC value (0.57), and Annona muricata L. had the highest RI value (0.88). Diseases and symptoms or signs involving the respiratory system and injury, poisoning and certain other consequences of external causes recorded the highest ICF value (0.80). Chromolaena odorata (L.) R.M.King & H.Rob. had the highest FL value (100%) used for cuts and wounds. The results of this study serve as a medium for preserving cultural heritage, ethnopharmacological bases for drug research and discovery, and preserving biological diversity.

96,419 views

34 citations