Amaranth

What is Amaranth?

Amaranth is a pseudocereal grain. This implies that the part we consume from these plants is the seeds, mostly consumed similarly to cereals — milled into flour. They also have a nutritional profile and flavor comparable to cereals. Amaranth was an important food crop in the Aztec, Mayan, and Inca civilizations, but its production declined dramatically following the downfall of Central American civilizations.

Amaranth seeds are a fundamental food and a sacred plant. They were used for multiple religious and ceremonial functions. During the 16th and 17th centuries, they spread to the south of Europe and many other countries.

Amaranth is also the name of a class of annual or short-lived perennial plants that comprise dozens of species. For their human usage, they can further be classified as grain and vegetable amaranth. Various species are grown as cereals, vegetables, or ornamentals, while numerous species have been implicated as weeds. Key benefits for farmers of this crop include good yields, resistance to drought, and photosynthetic enhancement.

Amaranth leaves are added to salads and can be cooked to prepare other foods. Processed grains are consumed by several means, of which expanded grain form probably remains the most preferred. Grain is an easy option in cultural cooking as an alternative to wheat. Moreover, grains are a promising natural source of various biologically active compounds.

In recent years, more attention has been paid to plant products whose properties allow them to be used in food and medicine. For thousands of years and worldwide, pseudocereals have been our ancestors as a staple food. This pseudocereal has a broad global spread and is thus a staple in several regions. Amaranth is becoming an increasingly fascinating field of science and technology in recent years. Learn more about the insane powers of amaranth.

Uses

Another good thing to add to your diet is amaranth. Slender amaranth can prove to be one of the best additions to the kitchen, lending flavor and aroma to a wide spectrum of dishes with augmented health benefits, no matter your palate or preferences. The seeds and different parts of the plant can be consumed. Hence, we will explore the various applications of these plants.

The leaves, stems, and whole plant are eaten like raw and cooked spinach. Most importantly, cooking eliminates detrimental substances such as oxalates and nitrates. Seeds, however, can be crushed and incorporated into various products. Grains are ground into flour, a key ingredient of pasta, bread, and many other flour-based products. Amaranth is also a supplementary ingredient and spice made to have higher sensory values of flavor in the dishes. They can be flaked like oatmeal. Also, the grains swell and are consumed like popcorn.

Amaranth is a pseudocereal with higher nutritional value and protein content than real cereals. Sometimes, the grains are also used as feed or fertilizer. In addition, it may be very important for some that the grains of this plant are gluten-free. Gluten-free foods prepared from pseudo grains with good sensory quality will come in handy for supplementation purposes in the diet of celiac patients to ensure a sufficient intake of nutrients.

You can also find essential oil from this plant on the market for therapy. Similarly, fresh amaranth leaves or their powder after drying also have medicinal indications. Such as poultices of this action applied to various infections. Whole plant infusions are also medicinal. Amaranth leaf juice is used to cure diseases in many parts of the world. Also, the plant's ash prepares soap because it contains a lot of soda.

Even oil extracted from the seeds of amaranth is quite in demand. Amaranth oil is a well-known functional food with a variety of health properties. One vital characteristic of the oil is its oxidation stability. Moreover, some amaranth species are valuable as decorative plants for households or parks.

Health Benefits

A plant from the amaranth family has many health properties. The main product of amaranth is the grain. Amaranth seeds are one of the most nutritious foods. The other parts of the plant have different therapeutic effects, too. This makes the plant responsible to a great extent for the potentially beneficial role in the human diet by inhibiting or postponing the onset of dietary-related diseases of civilization. Discover the gains you can obtain by adding amaranth into your diet.

Immune System Influence

For one, the plant can positively influence the immune system. Therefore, amaranth positively impacts the body, giving it protection from illness. The research observed that the plant's oil possesses antioxidant properties and modifies immune status. The antioxidant activity was found at different levels according to the developmental level of the plant and the content of biologically active substances. Their research was primarily aimed at detecting phenolic compounds contributing to the antioxidant activity of plants. The plant was found to contain as many as twenty-five distinct phenolic compounds.

Hypocholesterolemic Activity

You hear a lot on TV and more regarding the significance of maintaining good cholesterol levels. Indeed, the ones who say this are not incorrect at all, so it is worth it to eat healthily. Another edible plant that you can add to your menu is amaranth. As it turns out, this plant has cholesterol modulation properties in the body. Consumption of the seeds demonstrated, in some studies, cholesterol-lowering effects on serum cholesterol comparable to soluble fiber.

Compared with the control diet, the amaranth diet's hypocholesterolemic effect significantly reduced total cholesterol. The researchers note that the high content of unsaturated fatty acids in the amaranth could be responsible for the beneficial effect. Hence, consuming pseudo grains may be helpful for coronary heart disease and hypertension.

Hepatoprotective Activity

Also, good information is that species of amaranth have hepatoprotective effects. This means that you can continue consuming all these plant-based products, and they prevent all types of diseases and damage to the liver. A number of studies refer to these protections. The extract significantly improved paracetamol-induced alterations of hepatic physical, biochemical, histological, and functional damages.

Likewise, oil and amaranth extracts protect the liver, as reported by other authors. Oil in the diet also modifies the lipid profile and has shown a hepatoprotective effect. Therefore, use amaranths and have a healthy life.

Antimicrobial Activity

Equally fascinating, the amaranth plant shows the activity towards different pathogens. This quality helps to protect you from all sorts of bacterial, fungal, and viral infections. Research has shown activity against E.coli bacteria, among other things. Amaranth alcoholic extract had better antibacterial potential than the liquid extract.

On the contrary, the plant oil was active against C. albicans—the synergistic potent antimicrobial and fungistatic effects of amaranth oil combined with an antifungal drug. Additionally, recent studies have also shown the antiviral activity of amaranth. This wide range of actions gives the reason for using this plant for health purposes.

Anticancer Potential

This includes some foods with ingredients that show extreme antioxidant activity. These features may be beneficial in cancer prevention, making such products an interesting option for scientists because of their potential therapeutic uses. The variable of amaranthus preparation might be treated as a target in cancer therapy research. Studies have indicated that consuming an ingredient found in amaranth may help treat intestinal cancer. Therefore, this opens the door to the fact that amaranth grains have a degree of anticancer potential and can be utilized for this purpose.

Anti-Anemic Effect

One more wonder benefit of amaranth is protection from anemia. Yes, that's like another layer of protection. Iron deficiency, which causes anemia, is the most widespread nutritional disorder; thus, amaranth grains can serve as an intervention vehicle for the defect. However, researchers have observed that this element is bioavailable in plant grains. In patients, a higher presence of iron with hemoglobin was observed. Thus, these grains are a good way to boost the intake of essential minerals.

Neuroprotective Action

Well, amaranth consumption is land and advantageous in terms of being suitable for brain activity. We need carbohydrates for the energy we produce from them, but much more than this fantastic plant guarantees the energy. This is why some scientists recommend amaranth for the treatment of chronic inflammation other than that which is caused by neurodegenerative diseases.

The high content of antioxidant substances in the plant is probably related to the neuroprotective effect of the plant. Besides, functions such as antidepressant effects are indicated in the following results of the plant. Though the study notes that the mechanism behind this is unknown and needs further extensive investigation, the researchers also note this action.

Content

Amaranth plants have numerous health benefits, as you can see. That all is due to the content of rare factors and minerals. Let's find out the actual nutrients in it. Amaranth has three primary groups of biological compounds — proteins, fats, and carbohydrates.

Seeds contain more protein than traditional cereals, and their quality varies depending on the plant variety, environmental conditions (the predominant effects on the measurable quality), and fertilization method. Plus, the protein in this plant is complete, meaning it contains all the amino acids the body needs. On the other hand, the dominant carbohydrate in the grains is starch. Grains have large values of complex carbohydrates, and the level of starch is high. These particular grains are thus highly caloric, with 371 kcal per 100g.

The fiber fraction is also a major group of amaranth compounds. So, having a good component of this is very good for the digestive tract. Continue describing a lot of left fats. Lipids with a balanced ratio of saturated to unsaturated fatty acids contribute to the nutritional value of amaranth seeds. By now, you know the basic nutrients of the plant. But these seeds also have a lot more hidden inside!

Vitamins and Minerals

Not only that, but these plants are also highly relevant in terms of vitamins. In providing summation, most B vitamins will come in higher amounts. Apart from this, wheat is also a source of vitamins E and C, and with the contribution of vitamin C at a high rate, the advantage of vitamin level is the same as any food product or most of them. Edible grains can also contain many key minerals. The numbers for calcium, potassium, and magnesium are fairly high, with iron and phosphorus found in the maximum number. Other minerals are also present but in lesser amounts.

Essential Oils

Essential oils in the leaves and other parts of the plant produce a unique fragrance and aroma. The oils also have health properties. Phenolic compounds are the principal components of their structures—the ones that ensure powerful antioxidants! However, it should also be considered that the phenols and other useful health components can be commonly lost or decreased due to their heat treatment processing.

Colorants

In addition, amaranths have pigmenting compounds, which provide certain hues to the seeds and other plant portions. For example, there is a plant pigment called betalain. Though derived from a couple of different plants (like amaranth), this ingredient is found mainly only in beetroot. Pigments of the plant source are either type red pigments or phenol pigments. Betalains are relatively new contenders among the best bioactive natural compounds in terms of their potential human health benefits.

Squalene

Because squalene is also naturally occurring —the plant produces it, for example, in plants including amaranth. The substance, classified as a lipid, provides numerous health advantages. Squalene has the characteristics of being anti-inflammatory and hepatoprotective, and it reduces cholesterol and detoxifies the human body. Thanks to this, grains acquire these unique properties.

Safety

You need to know one more thing about amaranth, and then it is time to get cooking! Is the product safe? That's an important question; even the healthiest products can harm under certain conditions. Toxicity and safety studies performed on the plant have established different results. They are safe because natural nitrate supplements like amaranth extract are rich in antioxidants and several phytonutrients. But if you are going to take supplements, speak to your doctor and take the doses prescribed. Amaranth extract is generally exhausted at 1000 to 2000 mg/day doses for an adult.

Chronic toxicity studies showed no signs or symptoms of toxicity at low, medium, and high doses of amaranth extract. Finding substantial safety information about consuming the plant's grains is difficult; hence, further research should be carried out to identify the lowest level of amaranth to include in the diet. As a result, caution is urged regarding the potential impact of using higher GI linked with readily digestible starch. Remember that you may also be allergic to the plant.

Sources

• Val´eria Maria Caselato-Sousa, Jaime Amaya-Farfan (2012). State of Knowledge on Amaranth Grain: A Comprehensive Review.
  https://ift.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdfdirect/10.1111/j.1750-3841.2012.02645.x
• Justyna Baraniak, Małgorzata Kania-Dobrowolska (2022). The Dual Nature of Amaranth—Functional Food and Potential Medicine.
  https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35206094/
• Praveen Thaggikuppe Krishnamurthy, Merina Benny, Benny Antony, Binu T. Kuruvilla, Nishant Kumar Gupta (2023). Safety Evaluation of Amaranth Extract by Acute, Sub-Chronic and Chronic Exposure in Rats.
  https://biomedpharmajournal.org/vol16no4/safety-evaluation-of-amaranth-extract-by-acute-sub-chronic-and-chronic-exposure-in-rats/