Significance of Indian hematinic herbal beverages, and future perspectives

Background

Traditional herbal beverages have been used as medicine around the world to reduce oxidative stress. The chemical composition of these herbs depends on geographic and climatic factors, giving them unique healing properties. The Indian sub-continent has a rich variety of medicinal plants and has been using herbal beverages to treat various ailments for centuries. With advancements in bio-molecular knowledge, these beverages are gaining popularity. The current study aimed to collect scattered information on the therapeutic ingredients of Indian traditional hematinic herbal beverages, understand their mechanism of action, and identify knowledge gaps for future research.

Methods

We analyzed literature from 1980 to March 2024 on Indian traditional herbal beverages known for their hematinic properties. We used various relevant keywords to search computerized databases and manually examined cross-references to select research papers published in English.

Results

The research on 15 Indian traditional herbal hematinic beverages shows that most of them are non-fermented tisanes. They are made by collecting, bleaching, and wilting tender leaves, buds, fruits, flowers, stems, and roots. Although these beverages have been used successfully for centuries, there is still a knowledge gap regarding their mechanism of action.

Conclusions

Rapid industrialization and urbanization have led to a high-pressure society that requires extended alertness, resulting in metabolic disorders such as iron deficiency anemia. Traditional herbal practices have been effective in treating these disorders with minimal side effects compared to allopathic medicines. Research data on these beverages with GI tags may provide evidence for the development of evidence-based food, leading to the creation of modern green medicine and globally available anti-anemic beverages.