Joel Okpoghono
The purpose of this study is to provide an updated description of spices and herbs in terms of prospective usage in food and medicine ingredients as well as preservatives. This review makes use of updated systematically insightful scientific databases like PubMed, Scopus, Science Direct and Web of Science. Following an abstract-based selection of about 436 possibly relevant papers, 101 studies were thoroughly reviewed and discussed. The outcomes disclosed that since spices and herbs contain bioactive substances such tannins, alkaloids, phenolic diterpenes, vitamins, flavonoids, and polyphenols, it is now well known that these substances have antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anticarcinogenic, antiviral and cholesterol-lowering qualities. To guarantee that fresh herbs and spices are free of microorganisms and other possible contaminant and to increase their shelf life, medicinal value, advancements in blending processing technology should be implemented.