Spices & Bioactives

Spices and herbs provide bioactive compounds with health benefits and growing pharmaceutical interest. The session covers curcumin bioavailability and formulation strategies (Meriva, Theracurmin, BCM-95), capsaicin pharmacology and TRPV1 agonism, saffron compounds and clinical trials in depression, herbal-supplement quality and authentication challenges, the regulatory landscape for botanical claims, and emerging clinical evidence. Discussion addresses spice-drug interactions, the role of spices in cardiometabolic health (cinnamon, fenugreek), pepper alkaloids (piperine) as bioavailability enhancers, ayurvedic and traditional Chinese medicine integration with evidence-based pharmacology, and the role of spices in flavour-replacement strategies for sodium and sugar reduction.