Unifying Mechanism Involving Physiological Activity of Spices: Electron Transfer, Reactive Oxygen Species, Oxidative Stress, Antioxidants, Redox Chemistry, and Foods

This review deals with mode of action of spices. Those studied, involving principal ones and parent substances, together are the following; capsaicin (pepper, tabasco, jalapeño), curcumin (tumeric, ginger, curry), anethole (anise, fennel), myresticin (nutmeg, parseley, dill), sesamin (sesame) and piperine (pepper). These are in the phenolic and phenolic ether class, whereas allicin alone is in the disulfide category. Evidence supports the unfying mechanism of electron transfer, reactive oxygen species and oxidative stress for the seven. The disulfide is closely related via redox reaction without electron transfer. This review is an extension in relation to the unifying mode of action. Physiological and medical effects are treate