Nutritional Benefits of Wild Plants Research

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Tuesday, 16 September 2003

A project is underway to assess whether local wild vegetables eaten in Southern Europe have health-promoting properties.

The project, which is being carried out with European Commission funding, was outlined at the British Pharmaceutical Conference this week. Seven European research groups, coordinated by the School of Pharmacy, University of London, are involved.

"We are looking at wild and weedy food plants that are traditionally consumed in isolated villages in southern Europe. The aim is to better understand the local uses of the plants and to search for new nutraceuticals that might be produced commercially," Dr Andrea Pieroni, from the School of Pharmacy, said.

The conference heard that some of the plants have shown significant activity in anti-oxidant assays. This could suggest potential benefit for prevention of cardiovascular disease, a statement from the conference said.

Source: just-food.com