Explore chapters and articles related to this topic
Components of Nutrition
Published in Christopher Cumo, Ancestral Diets and Nutrition, 2020
Yet citrus fruits were not the lone alternatives. Spain and Portugal combatted scurvy by giving sailors pineapple (Ananas comosus).5 Likewise banishing the disease with pineapple, English captain James Cook (1728–1779) also fed his men cabbage (Brassica oleracea var. capitata) and other leafy vegetables, yams (Dioscorea species), and coconuts (Cocos nucifera).6 He took the additional step of planting pineapples wherever he went in the tropics to ensure an ample supply upon return visits. Potatoes (Solanum tuberosum) also protected against scurvy.7 These findings spurred physicians and scientists to wonder what linked these foods. That is, the macrolevel discovery that many fresh fruits and vegetables prevent scurvy prompted the search for a microlevel understanding that would unite them by identifying the shared component or components that explained these foods’ effectiveness.
Fruits, Vegetables and Tubers
Published in Bill Pritchard, Rodomiro Ortiz, Meera Shekar, Routledge Handbook of Food and Nutrition Security, 2016
Potato (Solanum tuberosum) is the most important of all horticultural food crops and as a starchy vegetable contributes both energy and important micronutrients to the human diet (Anon. 2010). Production of 365 MMT in 2012 was reported from 156 countries/regions. However, climate-sensitivity (potatoes require a sufficient frost-free growing season and night-time air temperatures below 21° C) limits production in the tropics to high elevation regions (Manrique and Bartholomew 1991), and in high-latitude countries (such as Iceland, Norway and Belarus) to small, milder, growing areas. Potato production was historically centered in the Americas and Europe until recent decades where production in Asia has become dominant (Walker et al. 2011). China and India now account for about 35 per cent of world production. Its importance as a crop even in the poorest of nations is indicated by the fact that 33 of the world’s 48 LDCs reported potato production, amounting to 6.4 per cent of the world total.
Ethnobotany of the Silk Road – Georgia, the Cradle of Wine
Published in Raymond Cooper, Jeffrey John Deakin, Natural Products of Silk Road Plants, 2020
Rainer W. Bussmann, Narel Y. Paniagua Zambrana, Shalva Sikharulidze, Zaal Kikvidze, David Kikodze, David Tchelidze, Ketevan Batsatsashvili
Another very distinctive trait in the use of plants in Georgia is the consumption of potato leaves (Solanum tuberosum) as a vegetable, which previously had only been reported in the high-altitude regions along the Albanian-Macedonian border (Bussmann et al., 2016c). This practice in remote areas of the Caucasus Mountains is the result of spring food shortages affecting high elevation villages. The procedure is to boil the young leaves in water, discard the liquor, and mix the remaining solid material with sour cream, sour ricotta, or cheese, or butter, and sometimes onions to make pkhali (herb pie). The use of leaves of Solanum tuberosum seems to be a very restricted custom in high mountain communities in Europe. No references whatsoever appear to exist for high mountain regions beyond Europe, especially Andean South America. The author’s personal experience of several decades of fieldwork in the Andes, whence Solanum tuberosum originates, excludes any observations of potato leaf use as food. Solanum tuberosum leaves clearly represent an emergency staple, at times when no other fresh food is available, in particular in very isolated mountain communities. The preparation of potato leaves for food does in most cases involve careful selection of young leaves, which may be significantly less poisonous, and leaching out any toxins. This cryptic practice had remained previously unrecorded due to the isolation which previously necessitated it. Although many people are aware of the custom, significant cultural change is underway, as few eat potato leaves nowadays due to improved transport access to local markets. That the practice has already become a memory in Georgia, as in Macedonia, highlights the urgency to document traditional knowledge in rapidly changing mountain communities.
Alpha Solanine: A Novel Natural Bioactive Molecule with Anticancer Effects in Multiple Human Malignancies
Published in Nutrition and Cancer, 2021
Sayyeda Hira Hassan, Sameena Gul, Hafiza Sadaf Zahra, Amara Maryam, Hafiz Abdullah Shakir, Muhammad Khan, Muhammad Irfan
Plants have been used as medicinal purpose for treating ailments, injuries, infections and for health benefits. These medicinal properties are linked with various phytochemicals present within the plants. Two of these phytochemicals, with therapeutic potential, are polyphenols and alkaloids (13). There are various reports which suggest that glycoalkaloids (GAs) inhibit the growth of various cancer cells including liver, skin, breast, prostate, and colon. Plants produce these GAs as natural toxins for protection from harsh environments such as cold, vertebrate feeding and phytopathogen attacks. They are found in various vegetables and fruits but Solanum tuberosum is one of the main sources of GAs. α-solanine, with a molecular formula C45H73NO15, is a trisaccharide glycoalkaloid, the chemical structure is shown in Figure 1. It is one of the fundamental GAs present in species of Solanaceae family such as Solanum tuberosum and Solanum nigrum. α-solanine structure resembles the human steroidal hormones like progesterone, estrogen, androgens and other sex hormones (14). There is a general perception about α-solanine of being toxic but rather this perception, α-solanine is beneficial for human health depending upon its concentration. It has shown anti-pyretic, anti-diabetic, anti-allergic, anti-inflammatory and antibiotic activity against viruses, bacteria, protozoa, and fungi. To date, several In Vitro and In Vivo studies have shown its antiproliferative activity against cancer (15). Shreds of evidence revealed that α-solanine suppresses the growth of liver (HepG2), lymphoma (U937), colon (HT29), stomach (AGS and KATO III) and cervical (HeLa) cancer cells (14). These studies suggest that α-solanine could be a potent agent for future anticancer therapy. This anticancerous activity is related to the capability of α-solanine to regulate various cellular targets in different cancer cells at different concentrations, as shown in Table 1. From this data, it is clear that α-solanine has anticancer activity with inhibitory effect on various human cancer cell lines.