Herbs, spices and gut health 151
10.1 Introduction
Gut health is the most important factor for a healthy life. A large number of people
are suffering from gut associated diseases, such as irritable bowel syndrome and
inflammatory bowel disease and this leads to loss in man-hours and to consequent
economic loss. Conditions such as inflammatory bowel disease are associated with a
breakdown in immune tolerance, while exposure to microbial antigens has an important
influence on the development of the gut immune system, with likely links to allergies.
In the Ayurveda, Unani and Siddha systems of Indian medicine, health of gut is given
prime importance. The World Health Organization has published statistics on economic
losses due to unhealthy gut especially in developing countries.
Several research projects have been funded by the EU under the 4th and 5th
framework programmes on functional and probiotic foods in relation to gut health
(Flair-Flow report, 2001). Optimizing microbial balance by modifying the diet (by
incorporation of certain foods or food additives) provides an important approach for
helping to prevent colitis, colorectal cancer, as well as infectious diseases and to
enhance the human immune system. On the other hand, the important role of herbs
and spices in our life and their multiple uses as ingredients in food, alcoholic beverages,
perfumery, cosmetics, medicine and colouring agents are well established. They are
also well evidenced in the nutritional, antioxidant, antimicrobial and pharmaceutical
properties of several herbs and spices. Empirical knowledge has led people to
use several herbs and spices as medicines and healing agents since ancient times.
Nowadays many plant-derived drugs are based on this knowledge from traditional
medicine.
In this chapter the effect of various herbs and spices or their constituents on gut
health will be reviewed. Their use as digestive stimulants and growth promoters,
their antimicrobial activity on certain enteric pathogens, their inflammatory activity
on the peptic system as well as their impact on gut immunity will be discussed. There
will also be reference to the kind of experiments that examined each activity and
information on the possible active constituents and their mechanisms of action.
10 Herbs, spices and gut health..................................................................
C. C. Tassou, National Agricultural Research Foundation, Greece