Sajal Kumar Jha, Partha Roy and Subhasis Chakrabarty
In the current scenario people are deeply concerned about their health because of lifestyles have changed drastically due to increase in working hours and various psychological pressures, which have led to an increased incidence of various life-threatening diseases. In addition to this they are frustrated with the expensive, high-tech, disease-treatment and management approach. The demand for nutraceuticals and phytonutrients has increased over the past few years and they are being used by people for various therapeutic outcomes. The nutraceutical products are recognized not only for their health benefits to reduce the risk of cancer, heart diseases and other related ailments, but also to prevent or treat hypertension, high cholesterol, excessive weight, osteoporosis, diabetes, arthritis, macular degeneration, cataracts, menopausal symptoms, insomnia, diminished memory and concentration, digestive upsets and constipation. Nutraceuticals have also found considerable trust in treating headaches and migraines resulting from stress. Other related nutraceutical products are touted as cures for thinning hair, lack of confidence, poor complexion, varicose veins, alcoholism, depression, and lethargy. In this chapter we made an attempt to classify all types of nutraceuticals with examples followed by their applications in the treatment of various disorders. Furthermore, the implementation of the designing and development of dosage forms for offering better delivery carrier of the nutraceuticals, the importance and challenges have also been enumerated.
