Medicinal Spices and Herbs from India: Volume 2: Beneficial Health Effects of 20 Exotic Spices

Indian spices are known for their tremendous advantages, both as medicines as well as in cuisine. This two-volume book provides valuable and detailed information about the pharmacological and therapeutic benefits of traditional and exotic Indian spices grown on Indian soil and available across geographical boundaries.

Volume 2 focuses on individual spices and their uses in treating various diseases. In particular, the volume explores the impacts and uses of black cumin, celery, black stone flowers, chili pepper, Asian spider flower, alkanet, kapok tree, pomegranate, asafoetida, fenugreek, cardamom, Indian sandalwood, musk, and more. Exploring each herb in detail, the book provides both new information as well as reinforces existing knowledge regarding these spices, adding to the knowledge about these exotic Indian spices in the field of medicine.

Volume 1: Introduction, Therapeutic Properties, and Commercial Products provides an introduction to the history of use of spices in Indian culture and goes on to discuss the influence of geographical location and climatic variation, processing conditions for extraction of active principles, medicinal uses of traditional spices, the therapeutic properties and molecular mechanisms of exotic Indian spices used as medicine in the treatment of cancer, inflammation, diabetes, metabolic syndrome, brain and cognitive function, cardiovascular diseases, skin diseases, gastrointestinal disorders, bacterial infections, and other pathological conditions.

Sankhadip Bose, PhD, is a Professor in the Department of Pharmacognosy, School of Pharmacy, The Neotia University, West Bengal, India. He served different faculty positions for more than 16 years in Maulana Abul Kalam Azad University of Technology and guided more than 20 master’s degree students in their research projects. Dr. Bose has successfully handled one Central Government Research Project from the Department of Science and Technology (DST), New Delhi, Govt. of India, in 2013. One PhD has been awarded under the supervision of Dr. Bose, and three other PhD projects are ongoing in Maulana Abul Kalam Azad University of Technology under his supervision. He has published more than 70 research papers/articles in nationally and internationally reputed journals as well as 10 book chapters. He was State Secretary of the Association of Pharmaceutical Teachers of India (2006-2021), and presently he is the CEC member of the APTI National Team. He is also a life member of the Society of Pharmaceutical Education and Research (SPER). Dr. Bose has been the Chairperson of Scientific Session of AICTE Sponsored National Conference on ＂Complex Diseases, Novel Therapeutics & Delivery Challenges,＂ 2014, Gupta College of Technological Sciences, Asansol, West Bengal, India. He is a member of many scientific committees of national and international conferences. He is also the executive editorial member and reviewer of many national and international journals. He earned his Master of Pharmacy in Pharmacognosy from K.L.E.S’ College of Pharmacy, Hubli, Karnataka, and PhD (Pharmaceutical Technology) from West Bengal University of Technology (presently MAKAUT), Kolkata, India.

Sutapa Biswas Majee, PhD, is currently an Associate Professor in the Division of Pharmaceutics, Department of Pharmaceutical Technology, School of Health Sciences, NSHM Knowledge Campus, Kolkata, where she teaches BPharm and MPharm courses and guides research projects for postgraduate students. She is also engaged in exploring the pivotal role of natural and synthetic polymers in modulating drug release and modeling of release kinetics from various dosage forms, such as tablets, osmotic tablets, liquisolid compacts, microsponges, hydrogels, oleohydrogel hybrids, etc. She is involved in studies on pharmacological activities of plant-derived secondary metabolites and mathematical modeling of different diseases. She has published around 75 peer-reviewed research articles and reviews in various national and international journals. She has authored/co-authored four books and edited one book and authored book chapters on various topics pertaining to modulation of drug release and study of release kinetics from drug delivery devices, hydrogels, computational methods in preformulation studies of dosage forms, mathematical modeling of infectious diseases, and synergistic interaction between plant products and antibiotics. She is empaneled as a reviewer for Frontiers, Journal of Applied Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Indian Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences. She acquired her MPharm (Pharmaceutics) and PhD degrees from Jadavpur University, India, and PGDHRM. She carried out her postdoctoral research on parasitology, phytochemistry and microbiology from Bose Institute and Jadavpur University, India.

Sabyasachi Banerjee, MPharm, is an Assistant Professor, Department of Pharmaceutical Technology, Gupta College of Technological Sciences, Asansol in Paschim Barddhaman District, West Bengal, India. He served as Assistant Professor for more than four years at Maulana Abul Kalam Azad University of Technology. He has published 10 research papers and articles in internationally reputed journals and currently has around 12 in process. He has also presented at many national and international conferences. He has been a fellow life member of the Scholars Academic and Scientific Society. He did his Master of Pharmacy in Quality Assurance and Pharma Regulatory Affairs at Gupta College of Technological Sciences, Asansol, West Bengal, and is pursuing a PhD (Pharmaceutical Technology), specializing in plant-based phytochemicals (isolation, characterization, preparing semi-synthetic derivatives, etc.) at Maulana Abul Kalam Azad University of Technology (formerly known as, West Bengal University of Technology), Haringhata, India.