The therapeutic potential of chia seeds as medicinal food: a review

Abstract

Poor lifestyle choices have led to people suffering from stress, high blood pressure, and a surge in cholesterol levels. Due to this, people are opting for the use of various functional foods that have more than one health benefit to combat such disorders. As a result, chia seeds (Salvia hispanica) have become immensely popular and are slowly being included in modern diet regimens to combat various health problems. Chia seed is known to be an abundant source of antioxidants. It is also considered to be a potential source of caffeic acid, chlorogenic acid myricetin, kaempferol, and quercetin. These are believed to have anti-carcinogenic, cardiac, anti-aging, and hepatic protective effect characteristics. At the moment, chia seeds are mostly being consumed to maintain a healthy serum lipid balance in the body. This is achieved due to the omega-3 and phenolic acid present in chia. However, there can be endless therapeutic possibilities when it comes to using chia as an alternative to traditional medicines to treat diseases like diabetes mellitus, cardiovascular diseases, and many digestive system disorders. Through this paper, we will review the therapeutic potential of chia seeds and their pharmaceutical design. Graphical abstract: [Figure not available: see fulltext.] © 2023, The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.