Preprint / Version 1

Herbal Spices as Food and Medicine: Microscopic Authentication of Commercial Herbal Spices

Authors

  • Amjad Khan Department of Plant Sciences, Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad 45320, Pakistan; [email protected] (A.K.); [email protected] (J.R.);
  • Mohammad Uddin College of Pharmacy, Mercer University, 3001 Mercer University Drive, Atlanta, GA 30341, USA; [email protected]
  • Muhammad Zafar Department of Plant Sciences, Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad 45320, Pakistan; [email protected] (A.K.); [email protected] (J.R.);
  • Siraj Khan Qarshi Herb Research Center at Qarshi Industries (Pvt.) Ltd., Lahore 22610, Pakistan; [email protected]
  • Sheikh Abidin Institute of Biological Sciences, Gomal University D I Khan, Dera Ismail Khan 29050, Pakistan; [email protected]
  • Jamil Raza Department of Plant Sciences, Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad 45320, Pakistan; [email protected] (A.K.); [email protected] (J.R.);
  • Raees Khan National Herbarium of Pakistan (Stewart Collection), Plant Genetic Resources Institute, National Agricultural Research Centre, PARC, Islamabad 30341, Pakistan; [email protected]
  • Amir Sultan National Herbarium of Pakistan (Stewart Collection), Plant Genetic Resources Institute, National Agricultural Research Centre, PARC, Islamabad 30341, Pakistan; [email protected]
  • Mushtaq Ahmad Department of Plant Sciences, Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad 45320, Pakistan; [email protected] (A.K.); [email protected] (J.R.);
  • Mohsin Kazi Department of Pharmaceutics, College of Pharmacy, King Saud University, P.O. Box 2457, Riyadh 11451, Saudi Arabia

Keywords:

consumer safety, herbal product, herbal spices, nutraceutical, plant-based medicine, traditional knowledge

Abstract

Herbal spices are an agricultural commodity, economically very important and beneficial in primary healthcare in the food and medicine sectors. Herbal spices are used as food flavoring agents as well as in phytotherapies throughout the world and have nutritive benefits. The food and medicine industries widely employ artificial or natural adulteration to retard the deterioration and utilization of these adulterants in food and medicine products has given rise to significant apprehension among consumers, primarily stemming from the potential health risks that they pose. Thus, their characterization for the purpose of identification, origin, and quality assurance is mandatory for safe human consumption. Here, we studied 22 samples of commonly traded herbal spices that belong to 20 different genera and 21 species comprising 14 families, investigated macroscopically or organoleptically as well as histologically under microscopic examination. In this study, we provide details on organoleptic features including appearance, taste, odor, color, shape, size, fractures, types of trichomes, and the presence of lenticels among the examined herbal spices and these features have great significance in the detection of both natural as well as artificial deterioration. In terms of microscopic characterization, each examined plant part comprising different anatomical characteristics has taxonomic importance and also provides useful information for authentication from natural adulterants. Furthermore, the studied taxa were also described with nutritive and therapeutic properties. For condiments, herbal beverages and medicinal purposes, different herbal parts such as leaves, floral buds, seeds, fruit, and accessory parts like mericarp, rhizome, bulbs, and bark were used and commercially traded. Similarly, in this study, the leaves of Cinnamomum tamala and Mentha spicata, the floral buds of Syzygium aromaticum, the seeds of Amomum subulatum, Brassica nigra, Punica granatum, Myristica fragrans, Phyllanthus emblica, and Elettaria cardamomum, the mericarp of Coriandrum sativum, and Cuminum cyminum were observed. As a result, we show the potential of herbal spices as a source of many valuable phytochemicals and essential nutrients for food, nutraceutical, and homoeopathic medicine. Keywords: consumer safety, herbal product, herbal spices, nutraceutical, plant-based medicine, traditional knowledge

Author Biographies

Amjad Khan, Department of Plant Sciences, Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad 45320, Pakistan; [email protected] (A.K.); [email protected] (J.R.);

Methodology, Formal analysis, Investigation, Writing – original draft

Mohammad Uddin, College of Pharmacy, Mercer University, 3001 Mercer University Drive, Atlanta, GA 30341, USA; [email protected]

Writing – review & editing, Visualization, Funding acquisition

Siraj Khan, Qarshi Herb Research Center at Qarshi Industries (Pvt.) Ltd., Lahore 22610, Pakistan; [email protected]

Methodology, Formal analysis, Writing – review & editing

Sheikh Abidin, Institute of Biological Sciences, Gomal University D I Khan, Dera Ismail Khan 29050, Pakistan; [email protected]

Validation, Resources, Writing – review & editing

Jamil Raza, Department of Plant Sciences, Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad 45320, Pakistan; [email protected] (A.K.); [email protected] (J.R.);

Methodology, Validation, Resources, Writing – review & editing

Raees Khan, National Herbarium of Pakistan (Stewart Collection), Plant Genetic Resources Institute, National Agricultural Research Centre, PARC, Islamabad 30341, Pakistan; [email protected]

Investigation, Data curation, Writing – original draft, Writing – review & editing, Funding acquisition

Amir Sultan, National Herbarium of Pakistan (Stewart Collection), Plant Genetic Resources Institute, National Agricultural Research Centre, PARC, Islamabad 30341, Pakistan; [email protected]

Methodology, Investigation, Writing – review & editing, Supervision

Mushtaq Ahmad, Department of Plant Sciences, Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad 45320, Pakistan; [email protected] (A.K.); [email protected] (J.R.);

Writing – review & editing

Mohsin Kazi, Department of Pharmaceutics, College of Pharmacy, King Saud University, P.O. Box 2457, Riyadh 11451, Saudi Arabia

Formal analysis, Writing – review & editing, Supervision, Project administration, Funding acquisition