This presentation will give the idea about the usefulness of herbs as health food. This presentation also includes some very important medicinal plants which can be used as health food.

1. HERBS AS HEALTH FOOD
Prepared By: Nabarun Mukhopadhyay
Assistant Professor
Department of Pharmacognosy
Bapuji Pharmacy College
Davangere

2. Contents
Description of herbs as health food
Ginseng
Chicory
Fenugreek
Ashwagandha
Ginger

3. Ginseng

5.  Biological source: Ginseng is the dried roots of
Panax ginseng (Korean),
◦ P. japonica (Japanese ginseng),
◦ P. quinquefolium (American ginseng),
◦ P. notoginseng – Sanchi ginseng (China
ginseng) and other species of Panax. belonging
to the family of
 Family: Araliaceae.

6. Morphology
• The plant is about 50 cm tall with a crown of
dark green verticillate leaves (whorled, in
arrangement resembling the spokes of a wheel)
and small green flowers giving rise to clusters of
bright red berries.
• Ginseng roots are corpulent (obese) roots.
6

7. Chemical constituents
Ginseng contains a complex mixture of
triterpenoid saponins (Dammarane type). They
are grouped as follows.
• Panaxosides - (Panaxoside A,B,C) etc.
• Ginsenosides – (Ro, Ra, Rb1, Rb2,
Rb3...around 30 are known),
Quinquenosides I to IV
• Chikusetsu saponins.
7

8.  Ginseng also includes two other group of
compounds known to have therapeutic
activity are ‘Glycans’ and ‘acetylenic’
compounds.
8

9.  Glycans are high molecular weight
polysaccharides includes Panaxans A to U and
Quinquefolans A, B and C. These compounds
show hypoglycemic and anti-ulcer and
immunological activity.
 Acetylenic compounds isolated mainly are
Panaxynol and Panaxydol (anti tumour activity.
9

10. Uses
 It is a favourite remedy in Chinese medicine and is
considered to have tonic, stimulant and aphrodisiac
properties.
 Used in neurasthenia and dyspepsia.
 Anti-fatigue. It increases natural resistance and
enhances the power to overcome the illness or
exhaustion. (Adaptagen)
10

11.  It is used in the treatment of anemia,
diabetes and insomnia.
 It is believed to be useful in adrenal and
thyroid dysfunction, tumour inhibition and
lowering B.P. (Long term use leads to
poisoning similar to those corticosteroids.
11

12. Chicory

13.  Biological source: Chicory is the dried roots and
above ground part of Cichorium intybus
belonging to the
 Family: Araliaceae.

14. Morphology
• It is a biennial or perennial herb with
spindle shaped taproot and cauline hairy
leaves upto 2 m high.
• It is easy to identify by its terminal and
auxillary capitulums of ligulate lovely blue
flowers.

15. Chemical constituents
•The roots contain high concentration (upto 60% of the
dry drug) of inulin content, sesquiterpene lactone (bitter
principles); tannins, sugars, pectins, fixed oils and
choline.
•Steam distillable fraction of roasted roots contain
pyrazines, benzothiazoles, aldehydes, aromatic
hydrocarbons, furans, phenols etc.
•It also contain small amount of two indole alkaloids (β-
carboline) derivative.

17. Uses
•Chicory roots are used in food products as a
flavour; bitter tonic to increase appetite and to treat
digestive problem (prebiotic) usually in the form of
herbal tea and juice.
•The roots are also used in diuretic and digestive
formulations for the treatment of gallstone, liver
ailments and cancer.

18. Fenugreek

19.  Biological source: Fenugreek is the dried
seeds and leaves of Trigonella foenum-
graecum belonging to the
 Family: Leguminosae.

20. Morphology
•It is an annual herb with alternate leaves on a long
petiole, each consisting of three ovate leaflets up to
0.6 m high.
•The flowers, solitary or in pairs, have a creamy
white corolla with a posterior triangular petal.
•The fruit is an elongated arched pod, containing
10-20 very hard seeds with lightbrown tegument
marked with slanted groove, somewhat flattened,
resembling triangle.

21. Chemical constituents
•The seeds contain saponins which on hydrolysis yield
1-2% of sapogenins like diosgenin and
trigafoenosides and foenugraecin.
•It contains volatile oil with main constituents having
sesquiterpenes hydrocarbons, alkanes and lactones.
•It is rich in proteins (30%), lipids (7%), flavonoids and
many sterols, fibres (cellulose, hemicellulose etc.).

23. Ashwagandha

24.  Biological source: Ashwagandha is the
dried roots and stem bases of Withania
somnifera belonging to the
 Family: Solanaceae.

25. Morphology
•The roots show buff to grey yellow outer colour
with longitudinal wrinkles.
•They are unbranched, straight, conical and some
of them bear a crown.
•The fracture is smooth and powdery.

26. Chemical constituents
•The main constituents of ashwagandha are
alkaloids and steroidal lactones. Among them,
withanine is the main active constituent.
•The other alkaloids are somniferine, somnine,
somniferinine, withananine, pseudo-withanine,
tropine, pseudotropine, choline, cuscohygrine,
anaferine and anahydrine.
•The leaves contain steroidal lactones, which are
commonly called as “withanolides”. The various
withanolides are withaferin, withaferin A etc.

28. Ginger

29.  Biological source: Ginger is the fresh and
dried root and rhizome of Zingiber
officinale belonging to the
 Family: Zingiberaceae.

30. Morphology
•It is an erect perennial herb with thick tuberous
rhizomes, sympodially branched pieces known as
hands.
•The branches arise obliquely from rhizomes (1-3
cm long) terminating in depressed scars or in
undeveloped buds.
•The outer surface is buff coloured and
longitudinally striated.

31. Chemical constituents
•Ginger contains usually 1-3% volatile oil, pungent
principle like gingerols and shogaols etc. Volatile oil
contains sesquiterpene, hydrocarbons zingiberene
and bisabolene.
•It contains 6-8% lipids composed of triglycerides,
phosphatidic acid, lecithin, free fatty acids like lauric,
palmitic, stearic, pleic and linoleic acid.
•It also contains protein, starch, vitramins, minerals
and amino acids.