Uses of Justicia spicigera in medicine and as a source of pigments

Authors

  • Itzamná Baqueiro-Peña Depto de Ing. Química, Alimentos y Ambiental. Universidad de las Américas Puebla Cholula, Puebla 72820,
  • José A. Guerrero-Beltrán Depto de Ing. Química, Alimentos y Ambiental. Universidad de las Américas Puebla Cholula, Puebla 72820,

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.31989/ffhd.v4i9.150

Abstract

Background: Justicia spicigera (muicle) is a plant that has been used from the pre-Hispanic era to contemporary times in Mexico. It has been used in the traditional medicine for healing diseases such as dysentery, diabetes, leukemia, and anemia, just to mention some human disorders. It has been used for obtaining indigo dye after making extraction with water to be used for coloring of baskets, crafts, and clothes. The pigments, as a powder, have been studied for use for coloring foods. The dyeing characteristics of the J. spicigera pigments have antioxidant properties due to the flavonoids content. Since this plant has been used for making infusions to people for curing some physical disorders, today J. spicigera is being studied to take advance of its dyeing and antioxidant properties to be used in the food and pharmaceutical industries.

Key words: Justicia spicigera (muicle), antioxidants, traditional medicine, pigments for foods, indigo, phytochemicals

Downloads

Published

2014-09-06

Issue

Vol. 4 No. 9 (2014): September 2014

Section

Review Articles

License

Any manuscripts or substantial parts of it, submitted to the journal must not be under consideration by or previously published in any other journal or citable form. Authors are required to ensure that no material submitted as part of a manuscript infringes existing copyrights or the rights of a third party. In submitting one's article in any form, the author has assigned the FFC publishing rights and has agreed to an automatic transfer of the copyright to the publisher. This is so that the FFC may create print option journals, for example, at the FFC’s discretion. If the author wishes to distribute their works by means outside of the FFC, for example within their community, they will have to place a request. 

 

Correspondence concerning articles published in Functional Foods in Health and Disease is encouraged. While derivative works (adaptations, extensions on the current work, etc.) are allowed, distribution of the modified material is not allowed without permission from the FFC.