Evaluation the effect of 50 and 100 mg doses of Cuminum cyminum essential oil on glycemic indices, insulin resistance and serum inflammatory factors on patients with diabetes type II: A double-blind randomized placebo-controlled clinical trial

Aim: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of 50 and 100 mg doses of green cumin essential oil on glycemic and inflammatory indices in patients with diabetes type II. Method: In this randomized double-blind placebo-controlled clinical trial, subjects were divided into three groups after selecting them randomly according to the inclusion criteria: 1 – Cuminum cyminum capsule (100 mg/day,n = 33), 2 – C. cyminum capsule (50 mg/day, n = 33), and 3 – placebo (n = 33). Before and after 8 weeks of intervention, a blood sample was taken. Findings: The findings demonstrated that the mean of the FBS, glycosylated hemoglobin (HgA1c) and the serum levels of insulin were significantly decreased and insulin sensitivity (HOMA-IR) was significantly increased in the groups receiving the 100 mg supplement (P < 0.001) and 50 mg supplement, but these indices were increased in the placebo group. The mean serum levels of TNF-α and hsCRP were significantly decreased, and serum levels of adiponectin was significantly increased at the end of the study in the groups receiving 100 mg (P < 0.001) and 50 mg (P = 0.008) supplement as well as in the group who received the placebo. There were no significant change in HOMA-B and QUICKI as insulin resistance parameters. Discussion and conclusion: Administering C. cyminum supplement in patients with diabetes type II may decrease the serum levels of insulin, FBS, and glycosylated hemoglobin and also the inflammatory indices of TNF-α and hsCRP and increased the serum levels of adiponectin. In addition it may control the complications of diabetes type II in these patients

Antioxidant activity and protecting health effects of common medicinal plants

Medicinal plants are traditionally used in folk medicine as natural healing remedies with therapeutic effects such as prevention of cardiovascular diseases, inflammation disorders, or reducing the risk of cancer. In addition, pharmacological industry utilizes medicinal plants due to the presence of active chemical substances as agents for drug synthesis. They are valuable also for food and cosmetic industry as additives, due to their preservative effects because of the presence of antioxidants and antimicrobial constituents. To commonly used medicinal plants with antioxidant activity known worldwide belong plants from several families, especially Lamiaceae (rosemary, sage, oregano, marjoram, basil, thyme, mints, balm), Apiaceae (cumin, fennel, caraway), and Zingiberaceae (turmeric, ginger). The antioxidant properties of medicinal plants depend on the plant, its variety, environmental conditions, climatic and seasonal variations, geographical regions of growth, degree of ripeness, growing practices, and many other factors such as postharvest treatment and processing. In addition, composition and concentration of present antioxidants, such as phenolic compounds, are related to antioxidant effect. For appropriate determination of antioxidant capacity, the extraction technique, its conditions, solvent used, and particular assay methodology are important

Nutraceutical Potential of Apiaceae

Apiaceae family is large, with over 3.000 species worldwide cultivated for many purposes. Some plants in this family such as carrots, parsley, parsnip and celery are common vegetable crops, while other members like anise, caraway, coriander, cumin, fennel, lovage, angelica and dill are famous for their medicinal and aromatic properties. Usage of these plants is very popular in everyday diet because of their documented health benefits. Apiaceae are a very important source of phytochemicals – chemicals with biological activity. However, phytochemicals are non-nutritive plant chemicals, also called nutraceuticals. They are widely used for prevention, treatment or cure of conditions or diseases. Bioactive compounds with nutraceutical potential are polyphenolic compounds, polyacetylenes and terpenoids. The aim of this review is to represent selected plants of Apiaceae family currently used as nutraceuticals and describe their nutritional benefits