Nutritional Components and Physiological Activity of 4 Wild Vegetables (Salvia plebeia R. Br, Angelica acutiloba, Gynura procumbens and Saururus chinensis Baill) Cultivated in Chungbuk Province
This study investigated on the nutritional components and physiological activity of four wild vegetables namely Salvia plebeia R. Br., Angelica acutiloba, Gynura procumbens and Saururus chinensis Baill for the development of representative wild vegetables in Chungbuk. Salvia plebeia possessed the highest radical scavenging activity and beta-carotene, but exhibited the lowest α-glucosidase inhibitory activity compared to the other three vegetables. Angelica acutiloba showed high crude protein content and α-glucosidase inhibitory activity, but contained low total polyphenol content, radical scavenging ability and beta-carotene compared to the other three vegetables. Gynura procumbens showed high mineral content, beta-carotene, vitamin K1 content and α-glucosidase inhibitory activity, but showed the lowest total polyphenol content and radical scavenging ability compared to the other three vegetables. Saururus chinensis showed high crude fiber content and total polyphenol content, but contained the lowest mineral and vitamin K1 content. To conclude, it is suggested to use Salvia plebeia or Saururus chinensis as antioxidant food materials and Angelica acutiloba and Gynura procumbens as food materials and sources of α-glucosidase inhibitors. In particular, it is believed that Saururus chinensis, which possessed high content of crude fiber, is suitable for low-calorie food materials such as diet products.