a Dairy Technology Division, National Dairy Research Institute , Karnal 132001 , Haryana , India.
Crit Rev Food Sci Nutr. 2015;55(1):94-122. doi: 10.1080/10408398.2011.649148.
Since ancient times, herbs have been used as natural remedies for curing many physiological disorders. Traditional medicinal literature appreciated their value as nature's gift to mankind for the healing of illnesses. Some of the herbs have also been used for culinary purposes, and few of them have been used in cheese manufacture both as coagulating agents and flavor ingredients. Scientific investigations regarding biological activity and toxicity of chemical moieties present in many herbs have been carried out over a period of time. Consequently, literature related to the use of herbs or their functional ingredients in foods and their interaction with food constituents has been appearing in recent times. This article presents the information regarding some biologically active constituents occurring in commonly used herbs, viz., alkaloids, anthraquinones, bitters, flavonoids, saponins, tannins, and essential oils, their physiological functionalities, and also the description of few herbs of importance, viz., Asparagus racemosus, Withania somnifera, Bacopa monniera, Pueraria tuberose, Emblica officinalis, Terminalia chebula, Terminalia belerica, Terminalia arjuna, and Aloe vera, in terms of their chemical composition, biological functionality, and toxicity. This article also reviews the use of herbs and their active ingredients in foods and their interactions with different food constituents.
自古以来，草药就被用作治疗许多生理失调的天然药物。传统的药用文献赞赏它们是大自然赐予人类治疗疾病的礼物的价值。一些草药也被用于烹饪目的，其中一些也被用于奶酪制造，作为凝固剂和风味成分。一段时间以来，一直在对许多草药中存在的化学部分的生物活性和毒性进行科学研究。因此，关于草药或其功能成分在食品中的用途及其与食品成分相互作用的文献最近才出现。本文介绍了一些常见草药中存在的具有生物活性的成分，如生物碱、蒽醌、苦味剂、类黄酮、皂苷、单宁和精油，它们的生理功能，以及几种重要草药的描述，如天门冬、睡茄、益智、葛根、余甘子、诃子、使君子、长叶松、和芦荟，从它们的化学成分、生物功能和毒性方面进行描述。本文还回顾了草药及其活性成分在食品中的应用及其与不同食品成分的相互作用。
