Cassia Seeds as an Anti-oxidant

Cassia seeds are immensely popular in the market for their numerous health benefits. They were used extensively in ancient medicines to cure several ailments related to digestion, eyes, joints, intestines, liver and for relieving several infections as well. Cassia seeds are obtained from two types of annual herbaceous plants, namely, Cassia Tora L and Cassia Obtusifolia L. The plant belongs to the Leguminosae family and is usually found in abundance in the tropical areas of India, China, and Africa.

Characteristics of Cassia Seeds:

The Cassia seeds were used extensively in Chinese medicines due to its countless curing properties. The seeds are usually small in size and vary in color from being brownish green, yellow to dark brown. It has a salty, sweet and slightly bitter taste.

The seeds, after extraction, are cleaned and dried before being used for further applications. It is usually put to use directly or in powdered form. The powdered form of the seeds offer more nutritional value than the former and can be used as a substitute for the regular coffee by roasting and grinding the seeds.

Cassia seeds offer various health benefits and hence enjoys immense popularity in recent years. It improves the digestion of food, prevents constipation, and fights micro-organism. It is also helpful in treating eye problems and maintaining cholesterol level. They are also a potent anti-oxidant and antiulcer agents.

Summary:

Cassia seeds, obtained from Cassia Tora L and Cassia Obtusifolia L plants, have been used substantially for medicinal values- especially in China. They are small in size with the color varying from brownish green, yellow to dark brown and tastes salty, sweet and slightly bitter. They are considered as good antioxidant & antiulcer agents.

Cassia Seed as an Antioxidant:

Various parts of Cassia Tora plant such as roots, leaves, stems, and bark possess various pharmacological benefits, such as- Antioxidants, Antiulcer agents, Antitumor, Anti Inflammatory, Antigenotoxic, etc. Various studies have proved that cassia tora seeds show significant scavenging activity and that makes them natural antioxidants. Antioxidants are compounds that inhibit oxidation which can produce free radicals leading to the occurrence of chain reaction damaging the cells. This cell damage caused due to free radicals is known as oxidative stress and is linked to several diseases such as- heart disease, cancer, arthritis, stroke, immune deficiency, emphysema, Parkinson’s disease, and other inflammatory conditions.

There are numerous activities which can lead to oxidative stress, namely- smoking, environment pollution, tissue trauma, radiation, exposure to chemicals, etc. These activities, with time, lead to cell damage creating more repercussions such as- the excessive release of free iron or copper ions, increase in enzymes that generate free radicals, disruption of electron transport chains, etc. Cassia seed, being an antioxidant, acts as a radical scavenger, hydrogen donor, electron donor, peroxide decomposer, singlet oxygen quencher, etc. in order to negate the effects of oxidative stress.

Cassia tora seed extracts have also been observed to possess anti-ulcerogenic properties that might be afforded via cytoprotective mechanism by virtue of its antioxidant properties. This property makes cassia seeds primal for ethnomedical use in the treatment of antiulcer.

< Summary:

Antioxidants are required to inhibit oxidation which can lead to oxidative stress causing many diseases. Cassia seed, being an antioxidant, negate the effects by acting as a radical scavenger. Many parts of Cassia Tora plant offers numerous pharmacological benefits, such as- antitumor, anti-inflammatory, etc.

The Bottom line:

Several pieces of research have shown the significant scavenging activity of Cassia tora seeds making them a natural source of antioxidants. Thus they provide numerous health benefits, relieving the body from oxidative stress which is the root of many diseases.