Introduction to nutraceuticals, medicinal foods, and herbs

The attention in nutraceuticals and functional foods keeps growing, driven by progressive research efforts to identify the properties and potential applications of nutraceuticals. The current population and health trends are the main reasons for the growth of the functional food market. Cardiovascular disease remains the primary leading cause of death, and cancer, osteoporosis, and arthritis remain extremely common. Medicinal foods and herbs, considered as alternative medicine methods, do not reject the validity and effectiveness of modern medicine, but rather play a role in supporting the treatment with modern medicine. Phytochemicals with therapeutic effects from various parts of plants have been used for food, spice, and medicinal purposes since the beginning of human history. The most important uses of aromatic plants can be listed as their application in pharmaceutical, perfume, cosmetics, toothpaste, soap, sugar, beverage, and food industries. Essential oils used in many industries, such as cosmetics, food, chemistry, and medicine, are also obtained from medicinal and aromatic plants. In addition, chewing gum, healing and relaxing tea production, paint, resin, gum, animal feed, building-coating materials, aroma, and natural pesticides are also considered. In this chapter, nutraceuticals, health effects of medicinal foods and herbs, the use of aromatic and medicinal herbs, herb products market, and present problems are evaluated in detail.