ABSTRACT

Herbs and spices are traditionally de˜ned as any part of a plant that is used in the diet for their aromatic properties with no or low nutritional value (Davidson 1999; Hacskaylo 1996; Smith and Winder 1996). However, more recently, herbs and spices have been identi˜ed as sources of various phytochemicals, many of which possess powerful antioxidant activity (Larson 1988; Velioglu et al. 1998; Kähkönen et al. 1999; Dragland et al. 2003). Thus, herbs and spices may have a role in antioxidant defense and redox signaling.