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Chenopodium Species

Priyanka Kundu and Prerna Gupta*

Department of Food Technology and Nutrition, Lovely Professional University, (LPU), Punjab, India

Abstract

Plant-based food has been chosen for eating purposes because of its medicinal and health-promoting benefits. Components, like antioxidants, phenols, alkaloids, and flavonoids, present in them exhibit functions as anthelmintic, laxative, antiviral, antifungal, anti-inflammatory, anti-allergic, antiseptic, anti-pruritic, and so on. The presence of various minerals, vitamins high-quality proteins, carbohydrates, and lipids helps in performing various functions in the human body. Chenopodiaceae is an underutilized weedy crop having purposeful perspective apart from crucial nutritional benefits, it possesses nutraceutical and functional properties. The leaves of chenopodium species (Chenopodium opulifolium shraeder, Chenopodium murale L, Chenopodium album L., etc.) plants are generally used in various food products to make them more nutritious and healthier because of the presence of minerals, vitamins, fiber, and essential fatty acids. Among all the species, C. album L. is widely famous and consumed in the form of food items like bathua saag, parantha, dosa, and chutney throughout India. Traditionally bathua is used in treatments of digestive problems, burns, blood purification, piles, arthritics, leukoderma, epilepsy, salivation, fever, cough and abdominal pain, peptic ulcer, hepatic disorder, and so on. The medicinal significance is due to the presence of phytochemicals, like flavonoids, iso-flavonoids, and polyphenols.

Keywords: Chenopodiaceae, Chenopodium album, extruded product, plant foods, phytochemicals

1.1 Introduction

Weeds are generally considered unwanted plants embattled for abolition as they grow in between the main crop, compete for nutrition, and do not require further treatment for better growth [1]. It is generally said that "one year of seeding corresponds to seven years of weeding" which means if we sow the weed once, it can be fed to people for seven years [2]. However, they are considered useful to humankind because of their high nutritional, functional, and phytochemical value, as well as medicinal properties [3, 4]. Unfortunately, a major part of our population is not aware of the nutritional benefits of these underutilized crops, especially people staying in urban areas because they are totally dependent on processed foods. It is very important to increase the level of knowledge regarding underutilized crops so that they can make it a part of their daily dietary habits. The incorporation of these underutilized crops into a food can make them functional foods by increasing the nutritional and phytochemical composition of the foods [4]. One fine example of this is C. album, which is commonly called bathua and belongs to the family Chenopodiaceae (Figures 1.1 and 1.2). It is widely growing in gram, mustard and wheat crop fields of the tropical and subtropical regions. This plant grows to a height of 0.3 to 3.3 m, with leaves that differ in size and form [5, 6]. The leaves and young shoots can be consumed like other leaf vegetables but their consumption should be limited due to presence of anti nutritional factor, i.e., oxalic acid [7]. C. album is an excellent source of various nutrients, phytochemicals, and also minerals, such as potassium, iron, calcium and phosphorus [6, 8]. The high nutritive value and medicinal properties that include anticancer, antifungal, antibacterial, antiseptic, antipruritic, antinociceptic make it very effective in treating the diseases of heart, blood, eye, and abdominal pain [9]. The processing and utilization of C. album can increase the nutritional and phytochemical composition of different food products. It is generally used in the preparation of dosa, potato curry, corn salad, bathua saag, parantha, chapati, and snacks [10-12]. Bathua's antimicrobial activity is also gaining researchers' attention with a zone of inhibition of 19.7 mm against Staphylococcus aureus, 18.3 mm against Bacillus polymexia and 16.37 mm against Streptococcus faecalis in a solvent extract of its leaves [14]. Bathua's methanolic extract inflorescence extract had the most antifungal activity, reducing fungal biomass generation by up to 60% [4]. The bioactive components of bathua leaves can be evaluated and used for the production of important drugs. It can be concluded that this weedy plant is actually an herb full of nutritional components [13, 15]. This plant could be a good alternative to expensive functional foods and may help in frightening against the hunger problem of India [10, 11]. In this chapter, the functional and medicinal properties of this weedy plant have been discussed.

Figure 1.1 Botanical classification of C. album.

Figure 1.2 Common names of C. album in different states [9, 16].

1.2 Chenopodium Varieties

Generally, 250 species of Chenopodium are present throughout the world but among all these varieties C. murale and C. quinoa is mostly accepted because these weedy crops have higher nutritional content (Table 1.1) [7].

Table 1.1 Few Chenopodium species of the family Chenopodiaceae.

1.3 Growth and Plantation

C. album is a winter annual herb with 250 species available throughout the world and 21 in India [20]. The stem of Chenopodium is erect with 0.3 to 3 m in height. The leaves are dark green in color with a smooth surface, variable in shape and size, and are generally found to be 15 cm long. Seeds are having 1.5 mm diameter with an acute margin and the flowers are in the form of cluster [21]. The origin of the species is from Europe. It is also found in Western Asia, America, and Mexico [22]. According to the writings of Kalm, an Agricultural economist, the Scandinavians (people living in northern Europe) used bathua as a flavoring agent during the preparation of meat. During ancient times, the Napoleon army was totally dependent on bathua seeds at the time of revenue [23]. In India Haryana, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Sikkim, West Bengal are the states that contribute to the production of C. album [24].

1.4 Health Effects

C. album is an underutilized wild plant that is loaded with vitamins and minerals (Table 1.2). Its leaves contain a large number nutrients including vitamin C, vitamin A, protein, phosphorus, calcium, potassium, iron, as well as amino acids [27]. Flavonoids, such as saponin, phenolic amide, alkaloid chinoalbicin, phenols, lignans, cinnamic acid amide, xyloside, have also been discovered to be potent phytoconstituents [28]. It can be a part of our eating habits not only because of nutrients, amino acids, fiber, and vitamins but also to enhance the sensory and functional content of the meal [27]. So this plant in our everyday life has great importance to prevent health from many diseases, its antioxidant effect has active compounds, a strong natural antioxidant mixture has been reported from the leaves of bathua with its key active compounds, which are heat stable and nontoxic when consumed, its dietary invention is important in human [26, 27]. Since ancient times, it is an integral part of Ayurveda due to its health-promoting benefits. It is used to treat hepatic diseases, spleen enlargement, intestinal ulcer [24].Various bioactivities of crude and extracted compounds from the herb, such as anthelmintic, laxative, antipruritic, hypotensive, antifungal, antinociceptive properties, justified its uses in conventional medicinal. Bathua has been used since ancient times for medicinal purpose [9, 14] like to treat burns and irritation, the juice of C. album leaves is commonly used. The leaf juice can relieve skin inflammation and alleviate discomfort and redness. The extract of the arial portion of this plant can be used to treat arthritis by rubbing the solution on the affected part [12]. Its medicinal properties have also been addressed in several ancient books, such as...