Amaranth
OTHER NAME(S): Alegría, Amarante-Grain, Amarante-Grain Géante, Chua, Huantli, Huatlí, Kantanoty, Khaddar-Chaulai, Lady Bleeding, Love-Lies-Bleeding, Lovely Bleeding, Pilewort, Prickly Amaranth, Prince's Feather, Rajgira, Ramdana, Red Cockscomb, Red Spinach, Rhamdana, Royal Grain, Smooth Amaranth, Spiny Amaranth, Tandulja, Velvet Flower, Amaranthus blitum, Amaranthus caudatus, Amaranthus cruentus, Amaranthus paniculatus, Amaranthus dubius, Amaranthus hybridus, Amaranthus hypochondriacus, Amaranthus frumentaceus, Amaranthus leucocarpus, Amaranthus roxburghianus, Amaranthus spinosus, Amaranthus tricolor, Amaranthus mangostanus, Amaranto, Amarante
Overview
Amaranth is a plant. The seed, oil, and leaf are used as food. The entire plant is used to make medicine.
Amaranth is used for ulcers, diarrhea, swelling of the mouth or throat, and high cholesterol, but there is no good scientific evidence to support these uses.
In foods, amaranth is used as a pseudocereal.
Amaranth contains chemicals that act like antioxidants.
There is interest in using amaranth for high cholesterol because some research in animals suggests that it might be able to lower total cholesterol and "bad" LDL cholesterol, while raising "good" HDL cholesterol. But amaranth doesn't seem to have these benefits in people.
Amaranth contains chemicals that act like antioxidants.
There is interest in using amaranth for high cholesterol because some research in animals suggests that it might be able to lower total cholesterol and "bad" LDL cholesterol, while raising "good" HDL cholesterol. But amaranth doesn't seem to have these benefits in people.
Uses
Possibly Ineffective for
- High cholesterol. In people with high cholesterol, eating a low-fat diet that includes amaranth oil or muffins enriched with amaranth doesn't seem to lower cholesterol any better than simply following a low-fat diet. In overweight adults, taking amaranth oil daily does not appear to affect good cholesterol levels and may actually increase bad cholesterol levels.
Insufficient Evidence for
- Low levels of healthy red blood cells (anemia) due to iron deficiency. Early research in children shows that eating bread made from amaranth grain daily increases healthy red blood cell levels.
- Stomach ulcers. Early research shows that amaranth oil doesn't help stomach ulcers in people already being treated with medications.
- Diarrhea.
- Swollen mouth and throat.
- Other conditions.
More evidence is needed to rate the effectiveness of amaranth for these uses.
Side Effects
When taken by mouth: The seed, oil, and leaves of amaranth are LIKELY SAFE when used in food amounts. Taking amaranth as a medicine is POSSIBLY SAFE when used for 3 weeks or less.
It is not known if using amaranth as medicine is safe or what the possible side effects might be.
Precautions
When taken by mouth: The seed, oil, and leaves of amaranth are LIKELY SAFE when used in food amounts. Taking amaranth as a medicine is POSSIBLY SAFE when used for 3 weeks or less.
It is not known if using amaranth as medicine is safe or what the possible side effects might be.
Pregnancy and breast-feeding: There isn't enough reliable information to know if amaranth is safe to use as a medicine when pregnant or breast-feeding. Stay on the safe side and avoid use.
Interactions
We currently have no information for Amaranth overview.
Dosing
The appropriate dose of amaranth depends on several factors such as the user's age, health, and several other conditions. At this time there is not enough scientific information to determine an appropriate range of doses for amaranth. Keep in mind that natural products are not always necessarily safe and dosages can be important. Be sure to follow relevant directions on product labels and consult your pharmacist or physician or other healthcare professional before using.
References
- Prakash D, Joshi BD, Pal M. Vitamin C in leaves and seed oil composition of the Amaranthus species. Int J Food Sci Nutr 1995;46:47-51.
- Chaturvedi A, Sarojini G, Devi NL. Hypocholesterolemic effect of amaranth seeds (Amaranthus esculantus). Plant Foods Hum Nutr 1993;44:63-70..
- Lust J. The herb book. New York, NY: Bantam Books, 1999.
- Maier SM, Turner ND, Lupton JR. Serum lipids in hypercholesterolemic men and women consuming oat bran and amaranth products. Cereal Chem 2000:77;297-302.
- Shin, D. H., Heo, H. J., Lee, Y. J., and Kim, H. K. Amaranth squalene reduces serum and liver lipid levels in rats fed a cholesterol diet. Br.J Biomed.Sci. 2004;61(1):11-14.
- Negi, P. S. and Roy, S. K. Changes in beta-carotene and ascorbic acid content of fresh amaranth and fenugreek leaves during storage by low cost technique. Plant Foods Hum.Nutr 2003;58(3):225-230.
- Haskell, M. J., Pandey, P., Graham, J. M., Peerson, J. M., Shrestha, R. K., and Brown, K. H. Recovery from impaired dark adaptation in nightblind pregnant Nepali women who receive small daily doses of vitamin A as amaranth leaves, carrots, goat liver, vitamin A-fortified rice, or retinyl palmitate. Am.J Clin.Nutr. 2005;81(2):461-471.
- Kim, H. K., Kim, M. J., and Shin, D. H. Improvement of lipid profile by amaranth (Amaranthus esculantus) supplementation in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats. Ann.Nutr.Metab 2006;50(3):277-281.
- Kim, H. K., Kim, M. J., Cho, H. Y., Kim, E. K., and Shin, D. H. Antioxidative and anti-diabetic effects of amaranth (Amaranthus esculantus) in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats. Cell Biochem Funct. 2006;24(3):195-199.
- Shukla, S., Bhargava, A., Chatterjee, A., Srivastava, J., Singh, N., and Singh, S. P. Mineral profile and variability in vegetable amaranth (Amaranthus tricolor). Plant Foods Hum.Nutr. 2006;61(1):23-28.
- Gonor, K. V., Pogozheva, A. V., Kulakova, S. N., Medvedev, F. A., and Miroshnichenko, L. A. [The influence of diet with including amaranth oil on lipid metabolism in patients with ischemic heart disease and hyperlipoproteidemia]. Vopr.Pitan. 2006;75(3):17-21.
- Martirosyan, D. M., Miroshnichenko, L. A., Kulakova, S. N., Pogojeva, A. V., and Zoloedov, V. I. Amaranth oil application for coronary heart disease and hypertension. Lipids Health Dis. 2007;6:1.
- Gonor, K. V., Pogozheva, A. V., Derbeneva, S. A., Mal'tsev, G. I., Trushina, E. N., and Mustafina, O. K. [The influence of a diet with including amaranth oil on antioxidant and immune status in patients with ischemic heart disease and hyperlipoproteidemia]. Vopr.Pitan. 2006;75(6):30-33.
- Devadas, R. P. and Murthy, N. K. Biological utilization of beta-carotene from amaranth and leaf protein in preschool children. World Rev.Nutr.Diet. 1978;31:159-161.
- Bressani, R., de Martell, E. C., and de Godinez, C. M. Protein quality evaluation of amaranth in adult humans. Plant Foods Hum.Nutr. 1993;43(2):123-143.
- Bolten WW, Glade MJ, Raum S, Ritz BW. The safety and efficacy of an enzyme combination in managing knee osteoarthritis pain in adults: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. Arthritis 2015;2015:251521.
- Silva-Sánchez C, de la Rosa AP, León-Galván MF, de Lumen BO, de León-Rodrígue A, de Mejía EG. Bioactive peptides in amaranth (Amaranthus hypochondriacus) seed. J Agric Food Chem. 2008;56(4):1233-40.
- López VR, Razzeto GS, Giménez MS, Escudero NL. Antioxidant properties of Amaranthus hypochondriacus seeds and their effect on the liver of alcohol-treated rats. Plant Foods Hum Nutr. 2011;66(2):157-62.
- Quiroga AV, Aphalo P, Ventureira JL, Martínez EN, Añón MC. Physicochemical, functional and angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitory properties of amaranth (Amaranthus hypochondriacus) 7S globulin. J Sci Food Agric. 2012;92(2):397-403.
- Velarde-Salcedo AJ, Barrera-Pacheco A, Lara-González S, et al. In vitro inhibition of dipeptidyl peptidase IV by peptides derived from the hydrolysis of amaranth (Amaranthus hypochondriacus L.) proteins. Food Chem. 2013;136(2):758-64.
- Subramanian D, Gupta S. Pharmacokinetic study of amaranth extract in healthy humans: A randomized trial. Nutrition. 2016;32(7-8):748-53.
- Yelisyeyeva O, Semen K, Zarkovic N, Kaminskyy D, Lutsyk O, Rybalchenko V. Activation of aerobic metabolism by Amaranth oil improves heart rate variability both in athletes and patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus. Arch Physiol Biochem. 2012;118(2):47-57.
- Nirmal SA, Ingale JM, Pattan SR, Bhawar SB. Amaranthus roxburghianus root extract in combination with piperine as a potential treatment of ulcerative colitis in mice. J Integr Med. 2013;11(3):206-12.
- Kasera R, Niphadkar PV, Saran A, Mathur C, Singh AB. First case report of anaphylaxis caused by Rajgira seed flour (Amaranthus paniculatus) from India: a clinico-immunologic evaluation. Asian Pac J Allergy Immunol. 2013;31(1):79-83.
- Chaudhary MA, Imran I, Bashir S, Mehmood MH, Rehman NU, Gilani AH. Evaluation of gut modulatory and bronchodilator activities of Amaranthus spinosus Linn. BMC Complement Altern Med. 2012;12:166.
- Cherkas A, Zarkovic K, Cipak Gasparovic A, et al. Amaranth oil reduces accumulation of 4-hydroxynonenal-histidine adducts in gastric mucosa and improves heart rate variability in duodenal peptic ulcer patients undergoing Helicobacter pylori eradication. Free Radic Res. 2018;52(2):135-149.
- Dus-Zuchowska M, Walkowiak J, Morawska A, et al. Amaranth oil increases total and LDL cholesterol levels without influencing early markers of atherosclerosis in an overweight and obese population: A randomized double-blind cross-over study in comparison with rapeseed oil supplementation. Nutrients. 2019 Dec 16;11(12):3069.
- Orsango AZ, Loha E, Lindtjørn B, Engebretsen IMS. Efficacy of processed amaranth-containing bread compared to maize bread on hemoglobin, anemia and iron deficiency anemia prevalence among two-to-five year-old anemic children in Southern Ethiopia: A cluster randomized controlled trial. PLoS One. 2020 Sep 28;15(9):e0239192.
- Liubertas T, Kairaitis R, Stasiule L, et al. The influence of amaranth (Amaranthus hypochondriacus) dietary nitrates on the aerobic capacity of physically active young persons. J Int Soc Sports Nutr. 2020 Jul 13;17(1):37.
- Moszak M, Zawada A, Juchacz A, Grzymislawski M, Bogdanski P. Comparison of the effect of rapeseed oil or amaranth seed oil supplementation on weight loss, body composition, and changes in the metabolic profile of obese patients following 3-week body mass reduction program: a randomized clinical trial. Lipids Health Dis. 2020 Jun 20;19(1):143.
- Prince MRU, Zihad SMNK, Ghosh P, et al. Amaranthus spinosus attenuated obesity-induced metabolic disorders in high-carbohydrate-high-fat diet-fed obese rats. Front Nutr. 2021 May 10; 8:653918.
- Yang Y, Fukui R, Jia H, Kato H. Amaranth supplementation improves hepatic lipid dysmetabolism and modulates gut microbiota in mice fed a high-fat diet. Foods. 2021 Jun 1;10(6):1259.
- Jamka M, Morawska A, Krzyzanowska-Jankowska P, et al. Comparison of the effect of amaranth oil vs. rapeseed oil on selected atherosclerosis markers in overweight and obese subjects: a randomized double-blind cross-over trial. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2021 Aug 12;18(16):8540.