ABSTRACT
For many years, diet has been known to play a vital role in the prognosis of chronic diseases. Fruit and vegetables contain of an abundance of phenolic substances, terpenoids, and other natural phytochemicals that have been linked with protection from and treatment of chronic diseases such as heart disease. There are clear associations between the consumption of vegetables, fruits and berries and the risk of cardiovascular disease: the number one cause of death in the world. In particular, terpenoids are contained in many herbal products that have documented therapeutic properties. Terpenes, and their oxygenated forms called terpenoids, are the most diverse class of natural compounds, with more than 25,000 different structures reported. Their main subclasses found to be beneficial to maintaining and improving cardiac health are monoterpenes (e.g., thymol, carvacrol, rotundifolone [piperitenone oxide]) and tetraterpenes (which include the different carotenoids and well-known plants such as Gingko biloba, greater cardamom and Radix paeoniae rubra). This chapter outlines how terpenoids are geared toward cardioprotection, supported by a panoply of data collected from the scientific literature. The theoretical aspect of this subject is elucidated in detail with concrete in vitro and in vivo illustrations to highlight the cardioprotective potential of terpenoids.
