TY  - JOUR
AB  - Purpose Increasingly, interest in and the uptake of herbal infusions has advanced, namely, owing to their bioactive properties and potential links to health. Given this, the purpose of the present review was to collate evidence from human trials for five popular herbal infusions.Design/methodology/approach The systematic review comprised ten human trials (560 participants), investigating inter-relationships between herbal infusions consumption and health. Only human studies involving German chamomile (Matricaria chamomilla L. Asteraceae), ginger (Zingiber officinale Roscoe Zingiberaceae), lemon balm (Melissa officinalis L. Lamiaceae), peppermint (Mentha x spicata L. Lamiaceae)/spearmint (Mentha spicata L. Lamiaceae) and rosehip (Rosa canina L. Rosaceae) teas were included in the present paper.Findings Most herbal infusions serve as a good source of flavonoids and other polyphenols in the human diet. Studies included in this paper indicate that herbal infusions (1-3 cups tended to be drank daily; infusion rates up to 15 min) could benefit certain aspects of health. In particular, this includes aspects of sleep quality and glycaemic control (German chamomile), osteoarthritic stiffness and hormone control (spearmint), oxidative stress (lemon balm) and primary dysmenorrhea (rosehip).Research limitations/implications Ongoing research is needed using homogenous herbal infusion forms, brewing rates and volumes of water to further reinforce these findings. In the meantime, herbal infusions could provide a useful supplementary approach to improving certain aspects of well-being.Originality/value The present paper collates evidence from human trials for five popular herbal infusions.
VL  - 50
IS  - 5
SN  - 0034-6659
DO  - 10.1108/NFS-08-2019-0263
UR  - https://doi.org/10.1108/NFS-08-2019-0263
AU  - Etheridge Christopher John
AU  - Derbyshire Emma
PY  - 2020
Y1  - 2020/01/01
TI  - Herbal infusions and health: A review of findings from human studies, mechanisms and future research directions
T2  - Nutrition & Food Science
PB  - Emerald Publishing Limited
SP  - 969
EP  - 985
Y2  - 2024/04/25
ER  -