Medicinal

Enrichment of Olive Oils with Natural Bioactive Compounds from Aromatic and Medicinal Herbs: Phytochemical Analysis and Antioxidant Potential

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Olive oil and herbs, two key components of the Mediterranean diet, are known for their beneficial effects on humans. In our study, we incorporated aromatic and medicinal herbs into local monovarietal olive oils via maceration procedures for enrichment. We identified the herbal-derived ingredients that migrate to olive oils and contribute positively to their total phenolic…

Drought-Adapted Mediterranean Diet Plants: A Source of Bioactive Molecules Able to Give Nutrigenomic Effects per sè or to Obtain Functional Foods

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The Mediterranean diet features plant-based foods renowned for their health benefits derived from bioactive compounds. This review aims to provide an overview of the bioactive molecules present in some representative Mediterranean diet plants, examining their human nutrigenomic effects and health benefits as well as the environmental advantages and sustainability derived from their cultivation. Additionally, it…

Antioxidant Activity of Medicinal Plants and Herbs of North Aegean, Greece: Current Clinical Evidence and Future Perspectives

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Medicinal plants and herbs constitute rich sources of flavoring, and aromatic compounds, namely phytochemicals, which have many positive impacts on human health, such as antioxidant, anticancer, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, cardioprotective, and … >>> Poulios, E., Vasios, G. K., Psara, E., Antasouras, G., Gialeli, M., Pavlidou, E., Tsantili-Kakoulidou, A., Troumbis, A. Y., Giaginis, C. The Natural Products…

Residual biomass from major aromatic and medicinal flora of the Mediterranean: challenges towards sustainable integration into food systems within the circular bioeconomy

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Waste biomass from aromatic and medicinal plants (AMPs) encloses multifunctional compounds that could offer a poly-diverse pool of applications in sectors of food/feed, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals and agriculture. The production of essential oils (EOs) constitutes the main process that generates huge amounts of waste and/or by-product streams, since >95% of the AMPs is left as residual…

An ethnobotanical study of medicinal plants in the Greek islands of North Aegean region

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Greek islands of the North Aegean Region are a group of nine inhabited islands (Lemnos, Agios Efstratios, Lesvos, Chios, Psara, Oinousses, Samos, Ikaria, and Fourni) located in the northern part of the Aegean Sea, close to Asia Minor. Each island of this region can be considered autonomous in terms of culture and biodiversity. With this…

An overview of herbal nutraceuticals, their extraction, formulation, therapeutic effects and potential toxicity

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Herbal nutraceuticals are foods derived from plants and/or their derivatives, such as oils, roots, seeds, berries, or flowers, that support wellness and combat acute and chronic ailments induced by unhealthful dietary habits. The current review enlists various traditional as well as unexplored herbs including angelica, burnet, caraway, laurel, parsley, yarrow, and zedoary, which are rich…

Top Edible Wild Plants of Eastern Mediterranean Region Part II: Anti-inflammatory Activity

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In the first part of this series of review articles, we presented the anticancer activities of the most important wild edible plants of eastern Mediterranean region, which we named as the “Deca-plants” (D-P) >>> Azab, A. European Journal of Medicinal Plants, 34(9), 1-24 (2023) Recent related articles in this category All articles in this category…

Advantages and Disadvantages of Using St. John’s Wort as a Treatment for Depression

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St. John’s wort (SJW) extracts are currently being used to treat depression of various degrees of severity. While many studies have shown it to be superior to placebo, data regarding the effectiveness of using SJW as a stand-alone treatment compared with standard antidepressants has yet to be proven conclusively. This study aims to understand the advantages…

Spices, condiments, extra virgin olive oil and aromas as not only flavorings, but precious allies for our wellbeing

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Spices, condiments and extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) are crucial components of human history and nutrition. They are substances added to foods to improve flavor and taste. Many of them are used not only to flavor foods, but also in traditional medicine and cosmetics. They have antioxidant, antiviral, antibiotic, anticoagulant and antiinflammatory properties and exciting…

Medicinal plants and their preparations in the European market: Why has the harmonization failed? The cases of St. John’s wort, valerian, ginkgo, ginseng, and green tea

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Botanical ingredients based on plants, algae, fungi or lichens have become widely available on the European Union market offering numerous preparations with considerable differences in classification. They are under the categories of food supplements, herbal medicinal products, cosmetics or medical devices. The aim of the present work is to highlight how the European regulations concerning…