A truly integrated collection of research, Connecting Indian Wisdom and Western Science: Plant Usage for Nutrition and Health compares Ayurvedic and Western conceptions of wellness, healthy lifestyle, and diet. Examining the phyto-pharmacological, phytochemical, clinical, ethnobotanical, sociocultural, and biomedical approaches to plant- and herb-b

Our health is our most important asset. Health and the provision of healthcare is fundamental to the welfare of any nation. The desire to have and sustain good health cuts across national, cultural, geographic, and political boundaries. Every region of the world has had one form of traditional medicine at some stage in its history. Traditional medicines have been a part of human history all over the world, with knowledge being transferred from generation to generation. It refers to diverse health practices, knowledge, and skills based on ancient indigenous experience that are used to maintain health as well as to cure, diagnose, or prevent illness. This book focuses on ten most popular traditional medicines around the world. It is a valuable source of guidance and direction for organizations and individuals interested in traditional medicine. It provides an introduction to traditional medicine so that beginners can understand it, its increasing importance, and its developments in contemporary time. It is a must-read book for anyone who cares about traditional.

This volume critically examines the role of science in the humanities and social sciences. It studies how cultures and societies in South Asia and Europe underwent a transformation with the adoption or adaptation of scientific methods, turning ancient cultural processes and phenomena into an enhanced scientific structure. The chapters in this book Discuss the development of science as a method in modern and historical contexts and the differences between modern science, scientification and pseudoscience. Study the interactions between bodies of knowledge such as Sanskrit and computer science; mathematics and Vedic mathematics; science and philosophy. Drawing on textual material, extensive fieldwork and in-depth interviews, this book will be of great interest to scholars and researchers of philosophy, Indology, history, linguistics, history and philosophy of science and social science.

This Handbook of Research in Food Science and Technology consists of three volumes focusing on food technology and chemistry, food biotechnology and microbiology, and functional foods and nutraceuticals. The volumes highlight new research and current trends in food science and technology, looking at the most recent innovations, emerging technologies, and strategies focusing on taking food design to sustainable levels. In particular, the handbooks includes relevant information on the modernization in the food industry, sustainable packaging, food bioprocesses, food fermentation, food microbiology, functional foods and nutraceuticals, natural products, nano- and microtechnology, healthy product composition, innovative processes/bioprocesses for utilization of by-products, development of novel preservation alternatives, extending the shelf life of fresh products, alternative processes requiring less energy or water, among other topics.

The three volumes in this handbook highlight new research and current trends in food science and technology, looking at the most recent innovations, emerging technologies, and strategies focusing on taking food design to sustainable levels. In particular, the handbook focuses on modernization in the food industry, sustainable packaging, food bioprocesses, food fermentation, food microbiology, functional foods and nutraceuticals, natural products, nano- and microtechnology, healthy product composition, innovative processes and bioprocesses for utilization of by-products, development of novel preservation alternatives, extending the shelf life of fresh products, alternative processes requiring less energy or water, among other topics. Volume 3 of the 3-volume set focuses on functional foods and nutraceuticals. The chapters examine nutraceuticals as treatment for cancer and neurodegenerative diseases, trends in functional food in noncommunicable diseases, synergism in food trends, bioactive peptides, agave fructans as a functional component in foods, and more.

Cannabis sativa has a long history; however, it has not been fully exploited for its beneficial uses. This plant can solve many present challenges, including challenges found in the pharmaceutical and cosmetic industries. Bioprospecting of this very important plant can generate economic upliftment of weaker sections of society and states if properly used under rules and regulations. Cannabis sativa Cultivation, Production, and Applications in Pharmaceuticals and Cosmetics discusses in detail the current research conducted in the area of Cannabis sativa in order to make it more useful and sustainable for the future. It further focuses on the exploration of Cannabis sativa phytoconstituents in various fields, especially in the pharmaceutical and cosmetic industries. Covering topics such as bioactive properties, molecular modeling, and soil pollutants, this premier reference source is an excellent resource for pharmacologists, pharmacists, health professionals, food scientists, agricultural scientists, botanists, chemists, students and educators of higher education, librarians, researchers, and academicians.

Australian Native Plants: Cultivation and Uses in the Health and Food Industries provides a comprehensive overview of native food crops commercially grown in Australia that possess nutritional and health properties largely unknown on a global basis. These native foods have been consumed traditionally, have a unique flavor diversity, offer significant health promoting effects, and contain useful functional properties. Australian native plant foods have also been identified for their promising antioxidant and antimicrobial properties that have considerable commercial potential. This book is divided into three parts: The first part reviews the cultivation and production of many Australian native plants (ANP), including Anise Myrtle, Bush Tomato, Desert Raisin, Davidson’s Plum, Desert Limes, Australian Finger Lime, Kakadu Plum, Lemon Aspen, Lemon Myrtle, Muntries, Native Pepper, Quandong, Riberry, and Wattle Seed. It then examines the food and health applications of ANP and discusses alternative medicines based on aboriginal traditional knowledge and culture, nutritional characteristics, and bioactive compounds in ANP. In addition, it reviews the anti-obesity and anti-inflammatory properties of ANP and discusses food preservation, antimicrobial activity of ANP, and unique flavors from Australian native plants. The third section covers the commercial applications of ANP. It focuses on native Australian plant extracts and cosmetic applications, processing of native plant foods and ingredients, quality changes during packaging, and storage of Australian native herbs. The final few chapters look into the importance of value chains that connect producers and consumers of native plant foods, new market opportunities for Australian indigenous food plants, and the safety of using native foods as ingredients in the health and food sectors.

For many centuries, fenugreek has been one of the most popular spices and vegetables serving as an integral part of culinary practices across many cultures. Fenugreek contains exceptional nutritional and medicinal properties, but scientific evidence for its potential health benefits has been considerably understudied and is beginning to grow. This book is a comprehensive compilation and documentation on the scientific profile of fenugreek and its phytoconstituents, including their most known applications and health benefits. It features a wide range of chapters written by highly experienced academics and industrial professionals. Topics cover applications of fenugreek including information on nutrition, fitness supplements, functional food, and excipients of novel drug delivery systems. In addition, it features topics on related products in the areas of nutraceuticals, functional food preparations, and complementary medicines. Features: · Comprehensive review of traditional wisdom and modern scientific evidence on fenugreek · Presents scientific evidence of fenugreek as an ingredient for product development formulation · Contains information on extraction methods, risk assessment, claim validations, and the regulatory status of fenugreek-based products · Covers broad physiological benefits of fenugreek in management of diabetes mellitus, primary hyperlipidemia, inflammation and pain, neuropathy and neuroinflammation, neurological and psychological disorders, kidney and lung disorders, as well as immunological, infectious, and malignant disorders · Enhances awareness of existing scientific knowledge surrounding fenugreek, whilst encouraging future scientific research towards better and safer nutritional and medicinal applications This book is a valuable resource of information on fenugreek for researchers, students, nutritionists, sport medicine practitioners, fitness enthusiasts and trainers, naturopaths, traditional practitioners, and toxicologists. This book helps industries in the fields of nutraceuticals, fitness and sports medicine products to develop their future products. However, this book is not a substitute for medical advice or recommendations.

Harmal: The Genus Peganum is an in-depth treatment of one of the most commanding plants in the botanical kingdom. Humble in appearance, modest in its needs, Peganum harmala has been venerated for millennia as a Deity-manifesting entheogen and a powerful medicine. This book traverses harmal’s medicinal chemistry, its possible role in the origins of religion, and its employment from ancient times to the present in the therapy of patients suffering from infections, infestations, metabolic derangements, neurological degeneration, visual weakness, and cancer. Its peculiar indolic compounds, known as harmala alkaloids, are now appreciated as exerting profound effects on the mind and on the body. These effects are the result of the alkaloids’ interactions with, and binding to, serotonin receptors on the cell surfaces of neurons in the brain and lymphocytes in the blood, the latter constituting the diffuse structural basis of the immune system. This biphasic modulation by harmala alkaloids has led to a novel pharmacologic re-visioning presented herein for the first time, the concept of a "lymphoneuric syncytium" and its possible long term tuning via "somatodelic" as well as "psychedelic" effects. The scientific rationale underlying the use of harmal in the medicines of the past and the healing technologies of our future is developed through exhaustive and meticulous explorations in both ethnopharmacology and modern phytochemistry. The presentation is enhanced through appraisals of the effects of harmal in two clinical cancer case scenarios, and of intentional inebriation and "provings" by one of the authors and a psychiatric colleague. The noted and esteemed botanically-trained physician Dr. Andrew Weil states in his Preface that this "monumental" volume will become the standard reference work in the field. Harmal: The Genus Peganum will be an invaluable addition to the personal libraries of professional pharmacognosists, botanists, physicians, psychologists, neuroscientists, and all persons interested in the interrelationship of consciousness, medicine, and coevolution.