Aroma and Bioactive Compounds of Some Medicinal Plants’ Leaves Used as Traditional Tea in Benin Republic

Abstract

In Benin Republic, plants play a major role in people daily life, especially in rural communities. The usages of plants are associated with
culture, tradition and heritage regarding their importance. In the present study, the different uses, aroma and bioactive compounds of the leaves
of ten common medicinal plants including Hibiscus sabdariffa, Hibiscus acetosella, Caesalpinia pulcherrima, Manihot esculenta Crantz,
Boerhavia diffusa, Moringa oleifera Lam, Momordica charantia, Ocimum gratissimum, Adansonia digitata and Combretum micranthum were
reviewed. It appeared that these plants are used for various purposes mainly including nutrition, health, economic, magic as well. The leaves of
these plants are rich in bioactive compounds as they contain phenolic acids, flavonoids, minerals, vitamins and fibers. They have many health
benefits including high antioxidant capacity, anti-cancer properties, anti-inflammatory activities, anti-anemia, anti-depressive, anti-diarrhea
and anti-aging as well as anti-diabetes. Their flavor resulted from a complex mixture of fatty acids, alcohols, aldehydes, esters, ketones, furans,
pyrroles, pyrans, terpenes, lactones and volatile phenols. The supplementation of these plants with other foods should be recommended as they
contain potential active compounds useful for the human being.