Bio-Functional Natural Products in Edible Resources for Human Health and Beauty

Natural products remain important repositories of promising therapeutic candidates due to their rich chemical and biological diversity. In particular, the development and application of bio-functional natural products from edible resources for the prevention of human diseases, health maintenance, and beauty are attractive for practical research.

The Special Issue “Bio-functional Natural Products in Edible Resources for Human Health and Beauty”, published in the journal Molecules, includes twelve articles, including ten original and two review articles.

The original papers include ‘Anthocyanin accumulation in the leaves of the purple sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas L.) cultivars’ by Guo Liang Li et al. [1]; ‘Composition of sugars in wild and cultivated lingonberries (Vaccinium vitis-ideaea L.)’ by Gabriele Vilkickyte et al. [2]; ‘NO_x-, IL-1β-, TNF-α-, and IL-6-inhibiting effects and trypanocidal activity of banana (Musa acuminata) bracts and flowers: UPLC-HRESI-MS detection of phenylpropanoid sucrose esters’ by Louis P. Sandjo et al. [3]; A new eucalyptol-rich lavender (Lavandula stoechas L.) essential oil: emerging potential for therapy against inflammation and cancer’ by Mohamed Nadjib Boukhatem et al. [4]; ‘Natural herbal estrogen-mimetics (phytoestrogens) promote the differentiation of fallopian tube epithelium into multi-ciliated cells via estrogen receptor beta’ by Maobi Zhu et al. [5]; ‘Sea buckthorn leaf powders: the impact of cultivar and drying mode on antioxidant, phytochemical, and chromatic profile of valuable resource’ by Lina Raudone et al. [6]; ‘Co-treatments of edible curcumin from turmeric rhizomes and chemotherapeutic drugs on cytotoxicity and FLT3 protein expression in leukemic stem cells’ by Fah Chueahongthong et al. [7]; ‘Lycoperoside H, a tomato seed saponin, improves epidermal dehydration by increasing ceramide in the stratum corneum and steroidal anti-inflammatory effects’ by Shogo Takeda et al. [8]; ‘Consumption of sinlek rice drink improved red cells indices in anemic elderly subjects’ by Peerasak Lerttrakarnnon et al. [9]; and ‘Stress-relieving effects of sesame oil aroma and identification of the active components’ by Hiroaki Takemoto et al. [10].

In addition, two review papers are included, namely ‘Natural ingredients from medicine food homology as chemopreventive reagents against type 2 diabetes mellitus by modulating gut microbiota homoeostasis’ by Xiaoyan Xia and Jiao Xiao [11] and ‘Phytotherapeutic approaches to the prevention of age-related changes and the extension of active longevity’, by Olga Babich et al. [12].

As the guest editor of this Special Issue, I hope “Bio-functional Natural Products in Edible Plant for Human Health and Beauty”, appearing in the Natural Products Chemistry section of Molecules, will be of use to many researchers. I would like to acknowledge all the authors for their valuable contributions and the reviewers for their constructive remarks. Special thanks to the publishing staff of Molecules at MDPI for their professional support in all aspects of this Special Issue.