While resveratrol has earned widespread popularity as a medicinal constituent of red wine, a variety of plant sources for resveratrol exist. Recent research has reported on the resveratrol content of a variety of common and less well-known plant sources, with a view toward making resveratrol more widely available as a food and in commercial supplements and medicines.
Peanuts
Peanut roots contain substantial quantities of resveratrol, according to a study published in the September 2010 "Biotechnology" journal. Resveratrol, a member of a family of antioxidant compounds called stilbenoids, is the only one that is currently commercially available, say the researchers, who isolated three stilbenoid compounds from the hairy roots of peanut plants. The study successfully produced pure extracts of all three compounds and demonstrated antioxidant activity for each. Of note, the two additional stilbenes, arachidin-1 and arachidin-3, induced cell death in tissue cultures of leukemia and cervical cancer cells, while resveratrol did not induce cell death in the cancer cells tested.
Japanese Knotweed
Japanese knotweed, a large invasive perennial plant native to eastern Asia, contains large quantities of resveratrol that were found to be effective at reducing oxidation levels in volunteers in one study. Participants took 40 mg of Japanese knowteed resveratrol per day for six weeks and showed significantly reduced oxidation levels and lower levels of the inflammatory chemicals C-reactive protein and tissue necrosis factor in their blood. The study was published in the September 2010 issue of the "Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism."
Melinjo Fruit
A Southeast Asian fruit known as melinjo has attracted attention for its high resveratrol content. Melinjo fruit grows on a small tree and forms clusters of small red nut-like fruits with thick skins and relatively large seeds that are used to make soups or ground into flour. A study on the resveratrol content of melinjo fruit found substantial immune-boosting properties. In the study, published in the January 2011 "Planta Medica," laboratory mice that consumed 100 mg per kg body weight of melinjo extract per day showed enhanced immune activity. The melinjo extract contained five stilbenoids, including reseveratrol, one of which was more effective than resveratrol at stimulating immune system activity.
Beer
Beer contains about the same amount of resveratrol as a serving of berries, according to as study published in the February 2011 "Journal of Chromatography." The resveratrol content of beer comes from hops, say the researchers, who were able to isolate reseveratrol from 79 percent of the beers sampled in the study. Additionally, the authors noted that beer has less resveratrol than chocolate and grape products, but more than peanuts or tomatoes.
References
- "Biotechnology Progress"; Purification of Resveratrol, Arachidin-1, and Arachidin-3 From Hairy Root Cultures of Peanut (Arachis Hypogaea) and Determination of Their Antioxidant Activity and Cytotoxicity; J.A. Abbott et al.; September 2010
- "The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism"; An Anti-Inflammatory and Reactive Oxygen Species Suppressive Effects of an Extract of Polygonum Cuspidatum Containing Resveratrol; H. Ghanim et al.; September 2010
- "Planta Medica"; Stilbenoids From the Melinjo (Gnetum Gnemon L.) Fruit Modulate Cytokine Production in Murine Peyer's Patch Cells Ex Vivo; H. Kato et al.; January 2011
- "Journal of Chromatography"; Determination of Resveratrol and Piceid in Beer Matrices by Solid-Phase Extraction and Liquid Chromatography-Tandem Mass Spectrometry; G. Chiva-Blanch et al.; February 2011
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