IndexIntroductionArjuna (Terminalia arjuna)Indian gooseberry (Phyllanthus emblica)Asparagus (Asparagus racemosus)Keywords: Medicinal plants, health benefits, bioactive componentsSay ​​no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get Original Essay Man uses medicinal plants in many ways to fulfill his basic need which is food, clothing and shelter since ancient times. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), 80% of the world's population still depends on medicinal plants. Medicinal plants have been used for many years to flavor and preserve food, to treat health problems and to prevent diseases including epidemics. Arjuna, amla, giloy, curry leaves, mulethi and aloe vera are used in all cultures around the world. These plants are a rich source of bioactive components such as phenols, flavonoids, triterpenoids, tannins etc. These bioactive components are a rich source of functional foods. Recently, functional foods made from medicinal plants are becoming more popular among consumers due to constant health awareness, fewer side effects, availability and economic value. Foods based on medicinal plants can have antioxidant, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, antidiabetic, anticarcinogenic, cadiotonic activities. Introduction Plants have also been used as medicines for thousands of years around the world. Most developed countries still rely on plant-based medicines for primary care WHO 1978. Globally, medicinal plants are being studied to develop new molecules for use in pharmacology, neutralizing products, dietary supplements, folk medicines , etc. One of the major traditional medicines which has been used as chemical compounds derived from medicinal plants (Amalraj & Gopi, 2017). The establishment of the safety, quality and suitability of therapeutic plants and natural products has now become a key issue in industrialized and developing countries. The widespread use of home-grown cures and health preparations is described in the Vedas and the Bible (Shakya 2016). Information about their healing properties has been transmitted over hundreds of years within and between human groups (Gupta et al., 2018 ). Therefore this chapter provides a review of the main components found in whole grains and their role in maintaining human health. It has been reported that most plants have pharmacological effects due to metabolites. Plant metabolites are organic compounds that can be classified into primary metabolites and secondary metabolites. Primary metabolites are organic compounds that include glucose, starch, polysaccharides, proteins, lipids, and nucleic acid that are beneficial for the growth and development of the human body. Plants synthesize secondary metabolites which include alkaloids, flavonoids, saponins, terpenoids, steroids, glycosides, tannins, volatile oils etc. The therapeutic efficacy of plants is due to these secondary metabolites for the treatment of many diseases. Phytochemicals are pharmacologically active compounds. These include alkaloids which have antispasmodic, antimalarial, analgesic, diuretic activity; Terpenoids are known for their antiviral, anthelmintic, antibacterial, antitumor, antimalarial, anti-inflammatory properties; Glycosides are reported to have antifungal and antibacterial properties; Phenols and flavonoids have antioxidant, antiallergic, antibacterial, etc. properties. and Saponin also known for anti-inflammatory, antiviral, plant defense activities etc.Arjuna(Terminalia arjuna)CombretaceaeThe most common names of T. arjuna are Arjuna, Arjun (Hindi ), Marudhu (Tamil and Malyalam), TellMaddi/Yella maddi (Telugu), Arjhan (Bengali), Sadaru (Marathi), Sadado/ Sadad (Gujrati ), (Kannada) Neer Matti (Amalraj & Gopi, 2017). DistributionT. arjuna (Roxb.) Weight. and Arn. which is a deciduous and evergreen tree distributed throughout India including the sub-Indo-Himalayan tracts of Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Deccan,Southern Bihar, Orissa, West Bengal and Madhya Pradesh mainly along river banks, streams and ponds and grows to a height of 20-30 m above ground level. BotanyThe tree is large about 60-80 feet tall, evergreen with a spreading crown and with drooping branches, new leaves appear in the warm season (February to April). The leaves of Arjuna are simple, often crenellated, carried subopposite, briefly acute or obtuse at the apex, leathery and oblong or elliptical. Their upper face is light or dark green and the lower face is light brown. The tree bears bisexual, sessile white flowers in short auxiliary spikes or in a terminal panicle arrangement. The fruits of Arjuna are drupes, ovoid, fibrous-woody and smooth-skinned with five wings or hard angles oblique and curved upwards. The bark of the stem is simple, smooth and pinkish-grey in color when viewed from the outside. An internal view, the bark is soft and reddish in color. Bioactive Constituents The chemical constituents of Arjuna present in the root bark, stem bark, leaves, seeds and fruits. The root contains triterpenoids and glycosides, the fruit contains triterpenoids and flavonoids, leaves and seeds contain flavonoids and glycosides. But the bark is considered the most important constituent from a medicinal point of view because it contains flavonoids, glycosides, polyphenols, tannins, triterpenoids, saponins, sterols and minerals such as calcium, magnesium, zinc, copper, even amino acids (Kapoor et al., 2014) . The triterpenoids isolated from its bark are mainly arjunine, arjunetina, arjunic acid, arjugenin. In the bark of T. arjuna, mainly flavonoids are found (arjunolone, flavones, bicalein, quercetin, kempferol and pelorgonidin). Various constituents of tannins are found in the bark of T. arjuna. The constituents are pyrocatechols, punicallin, castalagin, casuariin, punicalagin, terchebulin, terflavin C. The bark had an ash content of 34% consisting entirely of pure calcium carbonate. The aqueous extract of T. arjuna is reported to contain 23% calcium salts and 16% tannins (Ramesh & Dhanraj, 2015) (Rasheed et al., 2013). Health Benefits Among various medicinal plants, Terminalia species are known for their potential uses. The bark of Terminalia arjuna contains triterpenoids, tannins, phenolic acids, glycosides, antioxidants, magnesium, copper and zinc salts. The presence of these compounds plays an important role in the treatment of heart diseases, cancer treatment, urinary tract infections, lung diseases and edema. In Ayurveda, Arjuna bark powder is used as a cardio tonic, indigestion and bleeding disorders. Arjuna helps in maintaining cholesterol level at normal level. In rural areas, Arjuna bark powder is used for snake bite and scorpion sting. The juice of Arjuna leaves is used to cure dysentery and earache. Regular therapy with Terminalia arjuna bark powder leads to significant regressing endothelial abnormalities among smokers. Phytochemicals based on T. arjuna can be used daily as a tonic to keep the cardiovascular system healthy because it is considered one of the best heart tonics (Dwivedi, 2007) (Seth et al., 2013). Nutritional value The bark of T. arjuna contains largequantities of various minerals and trace elements such as magnesium (4000 mg/g), calcium (3133 mg/g), zinc (119 mg/g) and copper (19 mg/g). It contains some amino acids such as tryptophan, tyrosine, histidine and cysteine ​​(Yadav et al., 2013).Indian gooseberry (Phyllanthus emblica)EuphorbiaceaeThe most common names of Indian gooseberry are Amalaka (Sanskrit), Adiphala (Hindi), Amla (Marathi ), Amlaki (Bengali), Nelli (Tamil), Amalakam (Telugu), Ambala (Gujrati). Distribution The Indian gooseberry is found throughout tropical and subtropical India, Sri Lanka and Malaca. It is abundant in the deciduous forests of Madhya Pradesh and Darjeeling, Sikkim and Kashmir. It is also widely cultivated. Bioactive Components Amla fruit contains a significant amount of vitamin C. Amla fruit is a good source of cytokinin-like substances identified as zeatin, zeatin riboside and zeatin nucleotide. The seeds of Amla fruit turn brownish to 16% yellow fixed oil. It also contains tannins such as glucogallia, corylagin, chebulagic acid and 3,6-digalloyl glucose. The root of Amla fruit produces ellagic acid, lupeol, quercetin and β-sitosterol (Thakur et al., 1989). The fruit is diuretic, laxative, carminative, gastric, astringent, antidiarrheal, antihemorrhagic and antianemic. Health benefits The Indian gooseberry or emblic myrobalan is a medium-sized tree whose fruit has been used since ancient times in many Ayurvedic preparations. It is useful in the treatment of several diseases such as hemorrhages, leucorrhoea, menorrhagia, diarrhea and dysentery. It is reported that the combination of Amla and iron is useful for treating various diseases such as anemia, jaundice and dyspepsia. Sanjivani pills are also available and are also made with other ingredients for use against typhoid, snakebite and cholera. The green fruits are made into pickles and preserves to stimulate the appetite. The seed is used to treat various diseases such as asthma, bronchitis and biliousness. The combination of tender butter milk sprouts cures indigestion and diarrhea. The leaves are also useful in conjunctivitis, inflammation, dyspepsia and dysentery. The bark has been used for various ailments including gonorrhea, jaundice, diarrhea, and myalgia. The root bark is astringent and is useful in ulcerative stomatitis and gastroelcosis. Anemia, jaundice, heart disease and cold can be prevented with fermented liquor prepared from Indian gooseberry fruits. Nutritional value The fruit is a very rich source of vitamin C (600 mg/100 g) and is used in preserves as a general nutritional tonic. weakness (Dey, 1980). Moringa oleifera (Sohanjna) Moringaceae Distribution The plant is widely distributed in the western and sub-Himalayan tracts, India, Pakistan, Asia Minor, Africa and Arabia (Somali et al., 1984; Mughal et al., 1999) and is now distributed in the Philippines , Cambodia, Central America, North and South America, and the Caribbean Islands (Morton, 1991). BotanyThe tree varies in height from 5 to 10 m (Morton, 1991). It is reported to be found wild and cultivated throughout the plains, especially in hedgerows and domestic yards, thrives best in the tropical island climate, and is abundant near the sandy beds of rivers and streams (The Wealth of India, 1962; Qaiser , 1973). It can grow well in the humid tropics or in hot, dry lands, can survive on poor soil and is little affected by drought (Morton, 1991). It tolerates a wide range of precipitation with a minimum annual precipitation requirement estimated at 250 mm and a maximum at over 3000 mm and a pH of 5.0 to 9.0 (Palada and Changl, 2003) (Anwar et al., 2007). Bioactive components The whole extruded rubber contains L-rhamnose, galactose, glucuronic acid and L-rhamnose, mannose and xylose. The bark of the stem also contains two., 1998).