review · Plants
Carob (Ceratonia siliqua L.) is a versatile tree from the Fabaceae family that holds ecological, traditional, and industrial significance. Originating in the Middle East, all parts of the tree, including its leaves, flowers, pods, seeds, wood, bark, and roots, are used in traditional medicine to address conditions such as diabetes, hypertension, and gastrointestinal disorders. Scientific assessments demonstrate that carob contains numerous valuable compounds, including polyphenols, flavonoids, carbohydrates, minerals, and proteins. Specific constituents identified in its extracts include phenolic acids, such as coumaric and gallic acids, as well as flavonoids including kaempferol and quercetin. These compounds contribute to documented biological properties, specifically antihypertensive, antidepressant, anti-obesity, and antihyperglycemic activities. The work reviews the taxonomy, distribution, ethnobotanical uses, chemical constituents, and therapeutic profiles of the species.
Carob offers significant potential across health, nutrition, and industry. Clarifying its active chemical constituents helps substantiate long-standing traditional medicinal uses. This knowledge shows how natural plant extracts might contribute to managing widespread health conditions, including high blood pressure, depression, and metabolic disorders such as diabetes and obesity.
The identified pharmacological activities and bioactive compounds could support applications in functional foods, nutraceuticals, or pharmaceuticals aimed at metabolic health and hypertension. Health product formulators and pharmaceutical researchers are the primary prospective users. As the provided text reflects a review of existing biological and phytochemical evidence, these opportunities remain at an early research stage.
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The carob tree (Ceratonia siliqua L.) is currently considered one of the most valuable fruit and forest trees in various fields and sectors of activity. It is a versatile plant, belonging to the Fabaceae family. It is widely used in traditional medicine to treat many diseases such as diabetes, hypertension, and gastrointestinal disorders, given that all its parts (leaves, flowers, pods, seeds, wood, bark, and roots) are useful and hold value in many areas. Its importance has increased significantly in recent years. Originating from the Middle East, it is recognized for its ecological and industrial significance. Previous studies conducted on Ceratonia siliqua L. have revealed the presence of several compounds, including polyphenols, flavonoids, carbohydrates, minerals, and proteins. The carob tree demonstrates antihypertensive, antidepressant, anti-obesity, and antihyperglycemic activities. This plant is known for its medicinal and therapeutic virtues. Moreover, it is particularly interesting to consider the pharmacological activities of the major phytochemical compounds present in the different extracts of this plant, such as phenolic acids, for example, coumaric and gallic acids, as well as flavonoids such as kaempferol and quercetin. Therefore, this review aims to analyze some aspects of this plant, especially the taxonomy, cytogeography, traditional uses, phytochemical constituents, and pharmacological activities of Ceratonia siliqua L., in addition to its biological properties.
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DOI: 10.3390/plants12183303
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