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Carob and Inflammation

Jul 7, 2011 | By Jessica Olin

Carob, the popular alternative to chocolate in baked goods, provides more than a fix for your sweet tooth; it is also loaded with health benefits. Carob is the fruit of a Mediterranean tree scientifically named Ceratonia siliqua. The carob tree produces its fruit inside pods; it is from this fruit that most carob products are derived. Most health benefits are associated with the fruit of the carob tree, but evidence shows that other parts of the tree may have anti-inflammatory properties.

Functional Forms

One of the most well known forms of carob is carob flour. It is made from the fruit of the carob tree, and it is used for intestinal relief of conditions such as diarrhea and irritable bowel syndrome. It can also help lower cholesterol levels. As a flour, carob does not have any anti-inflammatory effects. Instead, its high fiber content produces results. The carob fruit has also been given to babies to inhibit vomiting. Other forms of carob include ethanol extract from the leaves and polyphenol extract from the pods.

Antioxidant Activity

Free radicals are molecules that are very unstable because they are missing an electron. This instability disturbs healthy cell structure, thereby promoting inflammation. Antioxidants counteract free radicals by donating one of their electrons to the free radical. This results in a suppression of the inflammatory response.

Carob as Antioxidant

An article published in the June 2010 issue of the "African Journal of Pharmacy and Pharmacology" reported that the aqueous ethanol extract from the leaves of the carob tree had anti-inflammatory and anticytotoxic effects. The study showed that the ethanol extract could successfully inhibit the enzyme xanthine oxidase, which is involved in the creation of free radicals under certain conditions. The anti-inflammatory effects of carob are also being studied in the field of cancer prevention.

Anti-inflammatory Phenolics

Extracts from the pod and the fruit of the carob tree also possess antioxidant properties. This is due to the high levels of phenolic compounds present in these extracts. The antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects of phenolic compounds contribute to the inhibition of human cancer cell growth. At the time this article was written, these responses had only been shown in research studies, and continued research is necessary before commercial use is possible.

References

Article reviewed by TimDog Last updated on: Jul 7, 2011

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