Tamarind (Tamarindus indica)

Devi, Barsha & Boruah, Tridip. (2020). Tamarind (Tamarindus indica). 10.1007/978-981-15-7285-2_16. 

Tamarindus indica is recognized highly around the world for its nutritional and high health promotion values. In the recent past, antioxidants from natural sources and their roles in prevention and treatment of various ailments have been extensively studied. Wide distributions of polyphenol and flavonoid compounds in Tamarindus indica are believed to be responsible for its high antioxidant activity. Phenolic compounds present in tamarind are beneficial for cardiovascular health and immunological health and have specific roles in antimicrobial and anticancer activities. The flavonoids present in different parts of tamarind are known to exhibit defence mechanism as an anti-inflammatory, antidiabetic and antihyperlipidemic agent for the treatment of several human health hazards. Although a huge amount of data is available in the literature concerning the antioxidant properties of Tamarindus indica, this chapter is an attempt to compile all those information in a single platform to aid the future direction of this research area.