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At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2002

Melatonin: an antioxidant in edible plants.

Melatonin, a molecule with antioxidant properties that is widely distributed in the animal kingdom, has now been shown to exist in the plant kingdom, including edible plants. Our findings show that melatonin is not only an endogenously produced antioxidant, but that it is also consumed in the diet. Since melatonin concentrations in the blood correlate with the total antioxidant status of this fluid, it is likely that dietary melatonin could be important in protecting against oxidative damage.

Antioxidants↗
PubMed2006

Distribution of metals in the edible plants grown at Jajmau, Kanpur (India) receiving treated tannery wastewater: relation with physico-chemical properties of the soil.

The implications of metal contamination of agricultural soils due to long term irrigation with treated industrial wastewater and their subsequent accumulation in the vegetables/crops growing on such soils has been assessed in an area of industrial complex, Jajmau, Kanpur (India). Physico-chemical properties of the soil were also studied. The soil and vegetables/crops were sampled from an area of 2100 acre agricultural land and analyzed for physico-chemical properties and metal accumulation in different parts of the plants. The comparison of the data of physico-chemical properties of control and contaminated soil showed that salinity, electrical conductivity, available phosphorous, sodium and potassium content (both water soluble and exchangeable) were found high in contaminated soil. The analysis of plant available metal content in the soil showed the highest level of Fe, which ranged from 529.02 to 2615 microg g(-1) dw and lowest level of Ni (3.12 to 10.51 microg g(-1) dw). The analysis of the results revealed that accumulation of toxic metal Cr in leafy vegetables was found more than fruit bearing vegetables/crops. Thus, it is recommended that the leafy vegetables are unsuitable to grow in such contaminated sites. It is important to note that toxic metal, Ni was not detected in all the plants. The edible part of the vegetables (under ground) such as, garlic (19.27 microg g(-1) dw), potato (11.81 microg g(-1) dw) and turmeric (20.86 microg g(-1) dw) has accumulated lowest level of toxic metal, Cr than leafy and fruit bearing vegetables. In some fruit part of vegetables such as, bitter gourd, egg plant, jack tree, maize and okra, the accumulation of Cr was not detected and may be grown in this area.

Environmental Monitoring↗
PubMed1995

Screening for in vitro anti-tumor promoting activities of edible plants from Thailand.

A total of 112 species of edible plants (122 samples) from Thailand were randomly collected, and their methanol extracts were screened for in vitro anti-tumor promoting activity using the inhibition test of Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) activation in Raji cells induced by 12-O-hexadecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (HPA, 40 ng/ml). It was found that 60% of these extracts inhibited EBV activation by 30% or more at a concentration of 200 mg/ml. Significantly, the ratio is markedly higher than that (26%) previously observed in common edible plants in Japan. Thus, physiological potentiality of edible Thai plants has been implied in terms of cancer chemoprevention.

Anticarcinogenic Agents↗
PubMed2000

Screening for the in vitro anti-tumor-promoting activities of edible plants from Malaysia.

A total of 114 methanol extracts from 42 plant families of edible Malaysian plants were screened for their inhibitory activities toward tumor promoter 12-O-hexadecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (HPA)-induced Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) activation in Raji cells. By testing at a concentration of 200 micrograms/ml, 74% of the 114 extracts inhibited EBV activation by 30% or more. This rate is comparable to those observed in the previous tests on edible Thai (60%) and Indonesian (71%) plants, and, importantly, much higher than that (26%) observed for Japanese edible plants. Approximately half of the Malaysian plants did not taxonomically overlap those from the other three countries, suggesting that Malaysian plants, as well as Thai and Indonesian plants, are an exclusive source of effective chemopreventive agents. Further dilution experiments indicated an extract from the leaves of Piper betle L. (Piperaceae) to be one of the most promising species. The high potential of edible Southeast Asian plants for cancer chemoprevention is collectively discussed.

Antineoplastic Agents↗
PubMed1995

Anti-hyperglycemic effect of some edible plants.

The anti-hyperglycemic effect of 12 edible plants was studied on 27 healthy rabbits, submitted weekly to subcutaneous glucose tolerance tests after gastric administration of water, tolbutamide or a traditional preparation of the plant. Tolbutamide, Cucurbita ficifolia, Phaseolus vulgaris, Opuntia streptacantha, Spinacea oleracea, Cucumis sativus and Cuminum cyminum decrease significantly the area under the glucose tolerance curve and the hyperglycemic peak. Brassica oleracea var. botrytis, Allium cepa and Allium sativum only decrease the hyperglycemic peak. The glycemic decreases caused by Psidium guajava, Brassica oleracea and Lactuca sativa var. romana were not significant (P > .05). The integration of a menu that includes the edible plants with hypoglycemic activity for the control and prevention of diabetes mellitus may be possible and recommendable.

Animals↗
PubMed2006

Ethnobotanical study of wild edible plants in Derashe and Kucha Districts, South Ethiopia.

The study discussed ethnobotany of and threats to wild edible plants in Derashe and Kucha Districts, South Ethiopia. Semi-structured interview, field observation, group discussion, market survey, and pair wise ranking were employed to gather ethnobotanical data. The information was collected from informants of three ethnic groups namely, Kusume, Derashe and Gamo people. The study documented 66 edible plant species belonging to 54 genera and 34 families. Of the reported edibles, 83.3% have more than one use categories. Food, medicine, construction/technology, and fuel wood had contributed 79% of the total uses. Of the recorded wild edible plant species, 78.8% were reported to be edible both in normal and food shortage times. Procurement and use of most edibles were found to be age and gender specific. However, species use under various use categories does not vary among the communities (Chi2 = 3.89, df = 6, alpha = 0.05 and 1-alpha = 12.6). The study showed that the majority (62.1%) of the species were collected from wooded grassland/or bush land vegetation type. Pair wise ranking results indicated that agricultural expansion, over stocking/overgrazing, fuel wood collection, and uncontrolled fire setting as principal threats to wild edible plants in the study areas. The findings suggest that (i) Public awareness and community based management need to be encouraged at all levels in order to overcome the threats; (ii) further investigation into nutritional properties of all the species reported; and (iii) Since the species are also nutraceutical, study on the pharmacological attributes would help to understand their medicinal applications. Furthermore, urgent collection of germplasm from areas under human pressure is recommended.

Altitude↗
PubMed2003

Antibacterial activity of extracts from some edible plants commonly consumed in Asia.

Extracts of edible plants (26 species) from China, Japan, Thailand and Yemen were screened for their antibacterial activity against Bacillus cereus, Staphylococcus aureus, Listeria monocytogenes, Escherichia coli and Salmonella infantis. Buffered methanol (80% methanol and 20% PBS) and acetone extracted inhibitory substances against tested bacteria from 16 plants, as revealed by the disc assay. The minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) of extracts determined by the agar dilution method ranged from 165 to 2640 mg l(-1). The most sensitive microorganism to extracts from Azadirachta indica, Cinnamomum cassia, Rumex nervosus, Ruta graveolens, Thymus serpyllum and Zingiber officinale was B. cereus, with MIC of 165 to 660 mg l(-1). E. coli and S. infantis were only inhibited by Cinnamomum cassia extracts at the highest MIC (2640 mg l(-1)). L. monocytogenes (Tottori) was more resistant than the ATCC 7644 strain to extracts from Ruta chalepensis, Artemisia absinthium and Cissus spp. EDTA (0.85 mM) reduced the MICs of Cinnamomum cassia and Cissus rotundifolia by at least 50% when tested against E. coli, S. infantis, S. aureus and L. monocytogenes.

Asia↗
PubMed1998

The use of wild edible plants in the Jordanian diet.

In Jordan, large numbers of wild edible plants are widely distributed throughout the country and consumed in various ways. In this study 56 wild edible plants used in local meals were surveyed to determine the plant parts used, the detailed methods of their preparation and preservation as well as their uses. The study showed that the plants used are either eaten raw, cooked by boiling in water, frying in fat or baking to be served as dishes such as stew, turnovers, stuffed and rolled vegetable foods or as cold or hot drinks for certain occasions and seasons. The study also showed that some of these plants are preserved by sun drying to be used out of season for cooking in main dishes, or as spices and appetizers.

Developing Countries↗
PubMed1988

Screening of edible plants against possible anti-tumor promoting activity.

One hundred twenty-one species of edible plants (133 test-parts) were screened against possible anti-tumor promoting activity by an in vitro short-term assay system of inhibition of Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) activation induced by a phorbol-ester promoter, 12-O-hexadecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (HPA). The methanol-extracts (ME) of 14 species of the edible plants strongly inhibited the activation, 7 moderately and 12 weakly inhibited it. On partition of the randomly selected inactive ME (26 species) with ethyl acetate and water, 13 and 2 species were active, more or less, in the ethyl acetate and water soluble part, respectively. Thus, this result suggested that anti-tumor promoters occur in a wide variety of edible plants. The anti-tumor promoting activity in the crude extracts may be enhanced or reduced with co-occurring factors acting additively, synergistically or antagonistically.

Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic↗
PubMed2000

The trypsin inhibitor content of 61 wild edible plant foods of Niger.

In the western Sahel and many other regions of sub-Saharan Africa, wild edible plants contribute significantly to human diets, not only during periods when cereal staples are scarce, but also when they are readily available. Although there have been published reports regarding the nutrient contents of these plant foods, little attention has been devoted to their content of antinutrients such as calcium chelators and inhibitors of the pancreas-derived proteases, trypsin and chymotrypsin, which are required for the efficient digestion and absorption of dietary proteins. In this study, aqueous extracts of 61 different leaves, seeds, fruits and flowers of edible plants gathered in the Republic of Niger were analyzed for their content of trypsin inhibitory substances using alpha-N-benzoyl-DL-arginine-p-nitroanilide as the substrate and bovine trypsin as the enzyme source. Twelve of these plant foods contained more antitrypsin activity than soybeans (1.34-8.18 vs. 1.32 microg trypsin inhibited/mg dry weight). Boiling for 3 min did not inactivate the antitrypsin activity in most of the plant extracts. These data confirm that more than half of the wild edible plant foods widely consumed by various populations who inhabit the western Sahel contain significant quantities of heat-stable trypsin inhibitor that could possibly compromise the bioavailability of proteins present in the diets of these populations.

Biological Availability↗
PubMed2006

An ethnobotanical survey of wild edible plants of Paphos and Larnaca countryside of Cyprus.

An ethnobotanical survey of wild edible plants of Cyprus was carried out in two sites, Paphos vine zone and Larnaca mixed farming zone. These are among the areas in Cyprus whose inhabitants subsisted primarily on pastoralism and agriculture and therefore still preserve the traditional knowledge on wild edible plants. The information was collected for three-year period, in the framework of the EU-funded RUBIA Project. Four hundred and thirteen interviews have been administered to 89 informants of various ages and background categories in 29 villages of Paphos site, and 8 in Larnaca site. A total of 78 species were recorded. Ethnographic data related to vernacular names, traditional tools and recipes have also been recorded. A comparison of the data collected from the two sites is undertaken. During this ethnobotanical research it was verified that wild edibles play an important role in Cyprus in rural people, however, it was realized that the transmission of folk uses of plants decreased in the last generations. The research of ethnobotany should be extended to other areas of Cyprus in order not only to preserve the traditional knowledge related to plants but to make it available to future generations as well.

Adult↗
PubMed1999

Separation and determination of glycolipids from edible plant sources by high-performance liquid chromatography and evaporative light-scattering detection.

Glycolipids from edible plant sources were accurately quantified by silica-based, normal-phase high-performance liquid chromatography using an evaporative light-scattering detector. Five major glycolipid classes (acylated steryl glucoside, steryl glucoside, ceramide monohexoside, monogalactosyldiacylglycerol, and digalactosyldiacylglycerol) were separated and determined with a binary gradient system consisting of chloroform and methanol/water (95:5, vol/vol) without any interference from other lipid classes and pigments. The described method was applied to 48 edible plants available in Japan including cereals, legumes, vegetables, and fruits. Examined plant species contained glycolipids in wide concentration ranges, such as 5-645 mg/100 g tissue.

Ceramides↗
PubMed2005

The gathering and consumption of wild edible plants in the Campoo (Cantabria, Spain).

This paper discusses the traditional consumption of wild edible plants in the rural communities of the Campoo (Cantabria), a region in northern Spain. Through semi-structured interviews with key informants, data on the perception, gathering, preparation and use of 60 edible wild plant species were collected. Social, economic and cultural factors need to be taken into account when trying to understand why some wild foods and traditional vegetables continue to be consumed while others are not. Wild foods were traditionally important as a supplement to the diet (particularly during food shortages), to which they bring diversity and serve as a source of vitamins and minerals. However, only a few people who like the taste of wild species and enjoy gathering them continue to consume them. Many people consider wild food to be old fashioned, unprofitable, or too time-consuming, and prefer to cultivate or buy their food. The most frequently cited species in the region (Rumex acetosa, Origanum vulgare, Rosa canina, Vaccinium myrtillus, Crataegus monogyna and Prunus spinosa) are widely consumed in the Mediterranean area. Unusual food species, such as Pedicularis schizocalyx, Romulea bulbocodium or Viburnum lantana, have also been gathered in the study area.

Adult↗