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Chronic and excessive alcohol consumption exerts detrimental effects on the body and impairs the structure and functions of vital organs. Liver, the largest organ of the body and the metabolic factory, is one of the highly affected organs of alcohol toxicity. Scientific studies carried out in the recent past have shown that phytochemicals such as beta carotene, betaine, curcumin, ellagic acid, epigallocatechin-3-gallate, ferulic acid, hydroxystilbenes, lutein, morin, meso-zeaxanthin, quercetin, ursolic acid, andrographolide, arabinogalactan, silibinin, silipide, and siliphos offer hepatoprotection by mitigating the toxic effects of alcohol on hepatic metabolism. Mechanistic studies have shown that the beneficial effects of these phytochemicals in preventing the ethanol-induced hepatotoxicity is mediated by the antioxidant, free radical scavenging, antiinflammatory, antifibrotic, antimutagenic, and lipotropic effects. The present review collates the hepatoprotective effects of the phytochemicals and the mechanisms responsible for the protective effects.

Zingiber officinale Rosc., commonly known as ginger, is globally one of the most commonly used spices. It also possesses medicinal value and has been used extensively in various traditional and folk systems of medicine around the world. Marinating or addition of ginger oil has been shown to enhance the quality and shelf life of the food by preventing rancidity. Ginger oil is shown to possess good antibacterial, antifungal properties when used in food preparation. The antioxidant and lipid peroxidation inhibition properties of ginger prevent peroxidative damage, indicating the benefits of ginger in prevention microbial food spoilage, free radical-induced damage, and rancidity. These properties are attributed to the plethora of biologically active compounds present in the oil of both fresh and dried ginger.

Phoenix dactylifera L., commonly known as the date palm is a primeval plant and has been cultivated for its edible fruit in the desert oasis of the Arab world for centuries. The fruits are a rich source of carbohydrates, dietary fibers, certain essential vitamins and minerals. The date pits are also an excellent source of dietary fiber and contain considerable amounts of minerals, lipids and protein. In addition to its dietary use the dates are of medicinal use and are used to treat a variety of ailments in the various traditional systems of medicine. Phytochemical investigations have revealed that the fruits contain anthocyanins, phenolics, sterols, carotenoids, procyanidins and flavonoids, compounds known to possess multiple beneficial effects. Preclinical studies have shown that the date fruits possess free radical scavenging, antioxidant, antimutagenic, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, gastroprotective, hepatoprotective, nephroprotective, anticancer and immunostimulant activities. This review presents a comprehensive analysis of the phytochemistry and validated pharmacological properties of date fruits and the seeds.

Artocarpus heterophyllus Lam, commonly known as the jackfruit tree and belonging to the family Moraceae, is an exotic tree originally native to the Western Ghats of India. The fruits are of dietary use and are an important source of carbohydrate, protein, fat, minerals and vitamins. The heart wood is a very durable timber and is used in the preparation of furniture. The bark, roots, leaves, and fruit are attributed with diverse medicinal properties and are used in the various traditional and folk systems of medicine to treat a range of ailments. Preclinical studies have shown that jackfruit possesses antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, anticariogenic, antifungal, antineoplastic, hypoglycemic, wound healing effects and causes a transient decrease in the sexual activity. Clinical studies have also shown that the decoction of the leaves possesses hypoglycemic effects in both healthy individuals and non-insulin-dependent diabetic patients. Phytochemical studies have shown that jackfruit contains useful compounds like the flavonoids, sterols and prenylflavones which may have been responsible for the various pharmacological properties. The present paper reviews the nutritional value, culinary uses, the phytochemical compounds, traditional usage and validated pharmacological properties of jackfruit.

Garcinia indica Choisy Syn Brindonia indica, commonly known as kokum and belonging to Guttiferae family, is a plant native to certain regions of India. The trees yield fruits annually in the summer season during the months of March to May. The fruits are green when raw and red to dark purple when fully ripe. They are used to prepare juice, pickles and as acidulant in curries. In the traditional Indian system of medicine the Ayurveda and in various folk systems of medicine, the fruit rinds and leaves are used to treat various inflammatory ailments, rheumatic pain and bowel complaints. The kokum butter prepared from the seed is of both commercial and medicinal use. Chemical studies have shown that the rind contains protein, tannin, pectin, sugars, fat, organic acids like (−)-hydroxycitric acid, hydroxycitric acid lactone and citric acid; the anthocyanins, cyanidin-3-glucoside and cyanidin-3-sambubioside; and the polyisoprenylated phenolics garcinol and isogarcinol. Preclinical studies have shown that kokum or and some of its phytochemicals possess antibacterial, antifungal, anti-ulcerogenic, cardioprotective, anticancer, chemopreventive, free radical scavenging, antioxidant and anti-obesity effects. The present paper reviews the nutritional value, the phytochemical compounds, traditional uses and validated pharmacological properties of kokum.

India is one of the world's biodiversity hotspots and reports confirm that a great variety of fruiting trees are indigenous to this region of the world. Mimusops elengi Linn (family Sapotaceae) commonly known as Bakul is one such tree native to the Western Ghat region of the peninsular India. However, today this tree is also found growing in other parts of the tropical and subtropical regions of the world. The tree is of religious importance to the Hindus and finds mention in various mythological texts. The stem, barks, leaves and fruits are used in various Ayurvedic and folk medications to treat various ailments. In the prehistoric days the ripe fruits were an important source of diet but today no one knows of its dietary use as it is seldom used. Studies suggest the tree contains medicinally-important chemicals, particularly the triterpenes and alkaloids. Preclinical studies in the past five years have shown that the extracts prepared from Bakul possess antibacterial, antifungal, anticariogenic, free radical scavenging, antihyperglycemic, antineoplastic, gastroprotective, antinociceptive and diuretic effects, thus lending pharmacological support to the tree's ethnomedicinal uses in Ayurveda. In this review for the first time attempt is made at addressing the chemical constituents, medicinal uses and validated pharmacological observations of Bakul.

Aegle marmelos , a plant indigenous to India has been used by the inhabitants of the Indian subcontinent for over 5000 years. The leaves, bark, roots, fruits and seeds are used extensively in the Indian traditional system of medicine the Ayurveda and in various folk medicine to treat myriad ailments. Bael fruits are of dietary use and the fruit pulp is used to prepare delicacies like murabba, puddings and juice. Bael fruits are also used in the treatment of chronic diarrhea, dysentery, and peptic ulcers, as a laxative and to recuperate from respiratory affections in various folk medicines. Scientific studies have validated many of the ethnomedicinal uses and reports indicate that the fruit possesses broad range of therapeutic effects that includes free radical scavenging, antioxidant, inhibition of lipid peroxidation, antibacterial, antiviral, anti-diarrheal, gastroprotective, anti-ulcerative colitis, hepatoprotective, anti-diabetic, cardioprotective and radioprotective effects. For the first time, this review critically assesses the nutritional values, phytochemistry and preclinical pharmacological properties of the bael fruit. Attempts are also made at emphasizing the dietary and pharmaceutical potential of bael fruit that has been largely underutilized and neglected.

The rhizomes of Zingiber officinale Roscoe (Zingiberaceae), commonly known as ginger, is one of the most widely used spice and condiment. It is also an integral part of many traditional medicines and has been extensively used in Chinese, Ayurvedic, Tibb-Unani, Srilankan, Arabic, and African traditional medicines, since antiquity, for many unrelated human ailments including common colds, fever, sore throats, vomiting, motion sickness, gastrointestinal complications, indigestion, constipation, arthritis, rheumatism, sprains, muscular aches, pains, cramps, hypertension, dementia, fever, infectious diseases, and helminthiasis. The putative active compounds are nonvolatile pungent principles, namely gingerols, shogaols, paradols, and zingerone. These compounds are some of the extensively studied phytochemicals and account for the antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antiemetic, and gastroprotective activities. A number of preclinical investigations with a wide variety of assay systems and carcinogens have shown that ginger and its compounds possess chemopreventive and antineoplastic effects. A number of mechanisms have been observed to be involved in the chemopreventive effects of ginger. The cancer preventive activities of ginger are supposed to be mainly due to free radical scavenging, antioxidant pathways, alteration of gene expressions, and induction of apoptosis, all of which contribute towards decrease in tumor initiation, promotion, and progression. This review provides concise information from preclinical studies with both cell culture models and relevant animal studies by focusing on the mechanisms responsible for the chemopreventive action. The conclusion describes directions for future research to establish its activity and utility as a human cancer preventive and therapeutic drug. The above-mentioned mechanisms of ginger seem to be promising for cancer prevention; however, further clinical studies are warranted to assess the efficacy and safety of ginger.

In this century there has been an increased interest globally in identifying immune modulator compounds that are pharmacologically potent and have low or no side effects, for use in treating diseases involving immunological disorders. As plants produce significant amounts of chemicals that are considered to be immunosuppressants or immunostimulators, they represent a potential source of new compounds with immunological activity. Conventional herbal medicines form an essential part of the healthcare system in India. Ayurveda, the oldest medical system in the world, contributes potential leads to finding active and therapeutically useful compounds from plants. Seeing the growing interest in assessing the immunological capacity of herbal medicine, in this chapter we discuss 20 rarely reviewed plants reported to have immunomodulatory properties. Some of the plants reviewed are part of multiherbal preparations while others are used individually. We will focus on Indian medicinal plants that have immunomodulatory properties examined by the modern system of basic science research.

Chronic and excessive alcohol consumption exerts detrimental effects on the body, and impairs the structure and functions of vital organs. The liver, the largest organ of the body, and the metabolic factory, is one of the organs highly affected by alcohol toxicity. Scientific studies carried out in the recent past have shown that phytochemicals such as beta-carotene, betaine, curcumin, ellagic acid, epigallocatechin-3-gallate, ferulic acid, hydroxystilbenes, lutein, morin, meso-zeaxanthin, quercetin, ursolic acid, andrographolide, arabinogalactan, silibinin, silipide, and siliphos offer hepatoprotection by mitigating the toxic effects of alcohol on hepatic metabolism. Mechanistic studies have shown that the beneficial effects of these phytochemicals in preventing ethanol-induced hepatotoxicity is mediated by antioxidant, free radical scavenging, anti-inflammatory, antifibrotic, antimutagenic, and lipotropic effects. The present chapter collates information on the hepatoprotective effects of phytochemicals and the mechanisms responsible for such effects.

Since antiquity, Piper betel. Linn, commonly known as betel vine, has been used as a religious, recreational and medicinal plant in Southeast Asia. The leaves, which are the most commonly used plant part, are pungent with aromatic flavor and are widely consumed as a mouth freshener. It is carminative, stimulant, astringent and is effective against parasitic worms. Experimental studies have shown that it possess diverse biological and pharmacological effects, which includes antibacterial, antifungal, larvicidal, antiprotozal, anticaries, gastroprotective effects, free radical scavenging, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory hepatoprotective, immunomodulatory, antiulcer and chemopreventive activities. The active principles hydroxychavicol, allylpyrocatechol and eugenol with their plethora of pharmacological properties may also have the potential to develop as bioactive lead molecule. In this review, an attempt is made to summarize the religious, traditional uses, phytochemical composition and experimentally validated pharmacological properties of Piper betel. Emphasis is also placed on aspects warranting detail studies for it to be of pharmaceutical/clinical use to humans.

Dietary constituents are shown to play an important role in the development of diabetes. Studies have shown that the fruits of Emblica officinalis Gaertn or Phyllanthus emblica Linn, colloquially known as Indian gooseberry or amla and/or some of its important constituents (including gallic acid, gallotanin, ellagic acid and corilagin), possess anti-diabetic effects through their antioxidant and free radical scavenging properties. Amla has also been reported to prevent/reduce hyperglycemia, cardiac complications, diabetic nephropathy, neuropathy, cataractogenesis and protein wasting. However, clinical trial data with human subjects are limited and preliminary. For the first time this review summarizes the anti-diabetic affects of amla and also addresses the mechanisms mediating these properties.

Chronic and excessive alcohol consumption exerts detrimental effects on the body and impairs the structure and functions of vital organs. Liver, the largest organ of the body and the metabolic factory, is one of the highly affected organs of alcohol toxicity. Scientific studies carried out in the recent past have shown that phytochemicals like beta-carotene, betaine, curcumin, ellagic acid, epigallocatechin 3-gallate, ferulic acid, hydroxystilbenes, lutein, morin, meso-zeaxanthin, quercetin and ursolic acid, andrographolide, arabinogalactan, silibinin, silipide, and siliphos offer hepatoprotection by mitigating the toxic effects of alcohol on hepatic metabolism. Mechanistic studies have shown that the beneficial effects of these phytochemicals in preventing the ethanol-induced hepatotoxicity are mediated by the antioxidant, free radical scavenging, anti-inflammatory, antifibrotic, antimutagenic, and lipotropic effects. This article collates the hepatoprotective effects of the phytochemicals and the mechanisms responsible for the protective effects.

Ultraviolet radiation (UVR)-induced cancers include melanomas and two types of malignant keratinocytes, the basal-cell carcinomas (BCC) and squamous-cell carcinomas (SCC).

Since antiquity, Piper betel Linn (betel vine; family Piperaceae) has been an important medicinal agent in the various traditional and folk systems of medicine in Southeast Asia countries. The leaves are the most valued plant part and in the past were routinely used as a chewing agent to prevent halitosis. The leaves are also supposed to harden the gum, conserve the teeth and to prevent indigestion, bronchitis, constipation, congestion, coughs and asthma. Innumerable scientific studies have validated the ethnomedicinal claims. Betel leaves are an integral component of the betel quid that consists of areca nut (Areca catechu Linn.), tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum L) and slaked lime; a highly abused agent with carcinogenic properties. Regular chewing of betel quid is associated mainly with oral cancer and detail studies with individual constituents of the quid have shown that both tobacco and areca nut are carcinogenic, while slaked lime is shown to promote the process of carcinogenesis. However unlike other constituents of the betel quid, the betel leaves devoid carcinogenic effects and on the contrary possesses cancer preventive effects including against the carcinogens present in tobacco. This review for the first time provides information on cancer preventive effects and also addresses the various mechanisms which might be involved.