Tasty Spices as Nutraceuticals

*Vijaya Rabade, Ashwini Ingole, Purushottam Gangane, Vidya Sabale, Ujwala Mahajan and Yash Kale*

### **Abstract**

Spices, food additives, which are the main sources of taste, colour, and perfume in foods and beverages, are becoming more and more important due to their wide range of applications. Spices are consumed as food additives to improve the sensory quality of foods. Traditional systems of medicine have employed spices for centuries since they have been known to have physiological effects that are good for human health. In the past few decades, pioneering experimental research involving both animal studies and human trials has been carried out which proved thatspices have therapeutic effects. The benefits of spices' like nutritional, antioxidant, anti-microbial, and therapeutic characteristics are many. These potentials activities of spices also adds up with their far reaching nutraceutical values. The primary health challenges facing humanity today are diabetes, cardio-vascular illnesses, arthritis, and cancer. Thus the anti-diabetic, anti-hypercholesterolemic, anti-carcinogenic, digestive stimulant action, antilithogenic property, anti-inflammatory property, antimutagenic, and anticarcinogenicand anti-inflammatory actions of spices are of utmost importance in the current situation. The present chapter deals with review of the nutraceutical and health benefits of various spices used in daily diet.

**Keywords:** nutritional, medicine, antioxidants, health benefits

### **1. Introduction**

Due to the extensive usage of numerous chemicals, heavy metals, electromagnetic waves, and other potentially hazardous man-made things, industrialisation has led to significant soil, water, and food pollution. Due to these issues, the prevalence of diabetes, obesity, different malignancies, vascular illnesses, physiological issues, and other degenerative diseases has increased. The expense of medical treatment has significantly increased due to the rising demand for healthcare. Research into new dietary products with healing properties has created a resurgence in health and nutrition research. Nutraceuticals opens a new era of quality of life research. May reduce the risk of disease by maintaining normal health and boosting immunity [1].

Plants are one of the most important resources in human nutrition and medicine. Increased knowledge of nutrition, medicine and plant biotechnology has drastically changed and revolutionised the concepts of nutrition, health and agriculture [2, 3].

"Food" is a term introduced by Stephen De Felice in 1979 which is defined as "a food or part of a food that has a medical or health benefit, including the prevention and treatment of disease". The motto of nutritional therapy is based on

complementary therapy with nutraceuticals, because food is not only a source of energy and nutrition, but also has a healing effect. Food detoxifies our body, restores our digestive system and eating habits [4]. Nutrients are sold in concentrated forms such as pills, capsules, powders, and tinctures, either as a single substance or as a combination. Nutrients can be foods rich in natural nutrients such as spirulina, garlic, soybeans, or certain foodstuffs such as omega-3 salmon oil. They are also known as medicinal foods, nutritional supplements, and nutritional supplements. The global demand for herbal and non-herbal extracts is growing all the time. For e.g. green tea is used for weight loss and cancer treatment, while *Ginkgo biloba*L. is widely used as a nutrient to improve cognitive function. The nutrition market has grown in recent years due to the increased attention of researchers and advanced techniques for determining qualitative and quantitative parameters. Consumers are disillusioned with expensive high-tech approaches to disease treatment in modern medicine and looking for useful additions or alternatives to food products [5].
