title: Dietary spices in health and diseases: I.
abstract: Spices are heterogeneous collections of a wide variety of volatile and non-volatile staple dietary additives. India with its wide climatic conditions and topographical features naturally possesses wide variety of medicinal flora. Spices have a diverse array of natural phytochemicals that have complementary and overlapping actions, including antioxidant effects, modulation of detoxification enzymes, stimulation of immune system, reduction of inflammation, modulation of steroid metabolism and antibacterial and antiviral effects. In the present essay, various studies on effects of different well characterized spices on molecular, cellular, autocrine, paracrine and endocrine mechanisms and their role in neuromodulation, immunoinodulation, anti inflammatory, antioxidant, anti-carcinogenic, antimutagenic and psychoactive phenomena have been reviewed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi 110 029.
authors.forename: K P
authors.initials: KP
authors.lastname: Kochhar
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000893:Anti-Inflammatory Agents / Q000494:pharmacology; D016588:Anticarcinogenic Agents / Q000494:pharmacology; D016587:Antimutagenic Agents / Q000494:pharmacology; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000494:pharmacology; D000975:Antioxidants / Q000494:pharmacology; D005421:Flavoring Agents / Q000494:pharmacology; D006801:Humans; D007155:Immunologic Factors / Q000494:pharmacology; D009753:Nutritive Value; D028321:Plant Preparations / Q000494:pharmacology*; D011619:Psychotropic Drugs / Q000494:pharmacology; D012903:Smell; D017365:Spices; D013649:Taste
chemical_list: D000893:Anti-Inflammatory Agents; D016588:Anticarcinogenic Agents; D016587:Antimutagenic Agents; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D000975:Antioxidants; D005421:Flavoring Agents; D007155:Immunologic Factors; D028321:Plant Preparations; D011619:Psychotropic Drugs