A review on the health benefits of Monechma ciliatum (Black mahlab): A potential functional food | Functional Foods in Health and Disease - Online ISSN: 2160-3855; Print ISSN: 2378-7007 Skip to main content Skip to main navigation menu Skip to site footer Open Menu Functional Foods in Health and Disease - Online ISSN: 2160-3855; Print ISSN: 2378-7007 Home Food Science Publisher Functional Food Center Current Archives About About the Journal Aims and Scope Contact Editing Services Editorial Team Express Peer Review Graphical Abstract Journal Insights Privacy Statement Submissions Announcements Search Search Register Login Home / Archives / Vol. 12 No. 2 (2022): February 2022 / Review Articles A review on the health benefits of Monechma ciliatum (Black mahlab): A potential functional food Authors Abdalbasit Adam Mariod Eshraga Mustafa A. Mustafa Marwa Bushra Yahia DOI: https://doi.org/10.31989/ffhd.v12i2.879 Abstract Background: Monechma ciliatum (MC) (Acanthaceae family) is a herb that grows in tropical and subtropical regions. It grows with small, brownish-black seeds. This is why the Sudanese people call it the “black mahlab”. This plant is primarily used in traditional meals, as well as the production of medical treatments and perfumes. Additionally, the seeds of the Monechma ciliatum plant are rich in fats, proteins, minerals, and other essential nutrients. It also functions as an effective laxative. As a result, this plant is commonly found as a supplement in cereal to enrich nutritional value. This review explores the nutritive value, antioxidants, antimicrobial, medicinal, cosmeceutical, and oxytocic properties of Monechma ciliatum seeds, leaves, and stem. To prepare this review, we researched published scientific literature by using the following keywords: “Monechma”, “Antioxidants”, “Antimicrobial”, nutritional”, “Monechma ciliatum”, “Monechma phenolics”. Our search was carried out in PubMed and Google Scholar databases and included original research from the past 25 years in English only. A total number of 50 original papers, which mentioned the phytochemistry, nutritional, biological, and medicinal properties of Monechma ciliatum were selected and considered for this review.   Keywords: Monechma ciliatum, black mahlab, nutritional, antioxidants, Antimicrobial, oxytocic Downloads [Abstract] [Full Article] Published 2022-02-09 Issue Vol. 12 No. 2 (2022): February 2022 Section Review Articles License Authors retain the copyright of their articles and grant the Functional Food Center (FFC) and its journals the right of first publication under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. This license permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, including commercial use, provided the original author(s) and source are properly credited. Authors may post and share their published work freely, provided that the original publication in this journal is acknowledged. By submitting to this journal, authors confirm that their manuscripts are original, not under consideration elsewhere, and that they hold the necessary rights to grant this license. The Functional Food Center encourages open scientific exchange and allows derivative and extended works, provided attribution to the original publication is maintained. About the Journal      Editing Services      Graphical Abstract      Journal Insights        Submissions        Editorial Team       Privacy Statement        Contact        Current        Archives   Open Journal Systems Hosting and Support by: OpenJournalSystems.com