Phytochemicals are non-nutritive plant chemicals that have protective or disease preventive properties. They are non-essential nutrients, meaning that they are not required by the human body for sustaining life. It is well-known that plant produce these chemicals to protect themselves but recent research demonstrate that they can also protect humans against diseases. There are more than thousand known phytochemicals. Some of the well-known phytochemicals are lycopene in tomatoes, isoflavones in soy and flavanoids in fruits.
Alkaloids | Monoterpenes |
---|---|
Caffeine | Geraniol |
Theobromine | Limonene |
Theophylline | |
Organosulfides | |
Anthocyanins | Allicin |
Cyanidin | Glutathione |
Malvidin | Indole-3-Carbinol |
Isothiocyanates | |
Carotenoids | Sulforaphane |
Beta-Carotene | |
Lutein | Other Phytochemicals |
Lycopene | Damnacanthal |
Digoxin | |
Coumestans | Phytic acid |
Flavan-3-Ols | |
Flavonoids | Phenolic Acids |
Epicatechin | Capsaicin |
Hesperidin | Ellagic Acid |
Isorhamnetin | Gallic acid |
Kaempferol | Rosmarinic acid |
Myricetin | Tannic Acid |
Naringin | |
Nobiletin | Phytosterols |
Proanthocyanidins | Beta-Sitosterol |
Quercetin | Saponins |
Rutin | |
Tangeretin | Stylbenes |
Pterostilbene | |
Hydroxycinnamic Acids | Resveratrol |
Chicoric acid | |
Coumarin | Triterpenoids |
Ferulic acid | |
Scopoletin | Ursolic acid |
Isoflavones | Xanthophylls |
Daidzein | Astaxanthin |
Genistein | Beta-Cryptoxanthin |
Lignans | Monophenols |
Silymarin | Hydroxytyrosol |