**2. Is an herb a savior as a medicine for health?**

Being part of the new global strategies on agricultural challenges and diseases, improving food products, quality of herbs and herbal medicines are very important. In particular, nowadays in pandemic diseases, herbs, natural foods, phytogenic ingredients, essential oils, and antioxidants have been studied by researchers in human and animal health [1].

It's well known that the use of natural foods or natural additives is good for health as well as life quality. Among these additives, algae, spirulina, ginger, thyme, yeasts, Echinacea, sage tea, and green tea are the most interested ones. As a matter of fact, the relationship between natural herbs and health is evaluated on their ingredients. The most known compounds are polyphenols, flavonoids, phycocyanin, vitamins, carotene, and glutathione. These compounds have a broad range of health effects, such as antioxidants, anticancer, immunomodulatory, antivirals, and others [2–7].

Natural foods may alternate several processes in the body, especially oxidative balance, inflammation, genetic changes, immune stimulation, and growth factors. Along with literatures, especially class of antioxidant compounds has radical scavenging properties. Flavonoids, flavones and anthocyanins, the most important antioxidant compounds, are enormously aware of the health benefits. They are all health-oriented and promote efficacy and functional activity against diseases due to the presence of multiple hydroxyl groups [1, 8–10]. What is more, certain nutraceuticals, such as phenylpropanoids, would have a role against environmental stress. However, certain important herbs can maintain homeostasis by reducing high fever [11, 12], may have metabolic effects through inhibition of cancer cell proliferation [13, 14], or act as a chemical quench [15]. Nonetheless, scientific studies have been investigated that

#### *Is There Still Room to Improve Medicinal Herbs (Functional Herbs) by Gene Editing for Health? DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.104323*

several herbs and compounds are used to enhance immunity by inhibiting activation of specific cytokines [1, 10, 16–18]. In addition, certain herbs and their compounds have antiviral effects that are dependent on the inhibition of viral protein synthesis and viral replication [19].

Previously, the preventive role of the health and quality of life of herbs and their compounds were assessed. In addition, the association between these herbs and the target mechanism in humans and animals has been sought to identify. Several natural foods and their components have been used over the years. Especially nowadays, people try to protect their health in a natural way that is natural foods or their compounds, even if it is a natural medication or natural supplement. In fact, there is enormous complexity about this use knowingly or unknowingly. Thus, the use of traditional herbs and their effects have been researched over the years. In addition, new strategies have been identified for natural foods and their health-enhancing compounds.
