Tannin - Protects Humans Against Diseases

Some of the well known phytochemicals are lycopene in tomatoes, isoflavones in soy and flavanoids in fruits. They are not essential nutrients and are not required by the human body for sustaining life. However…

Tannin is basically Tannic Acid which is a Phytochemical.

What are Phytochemicals?
Phytochemicals are non nutritive plant chemicals that have protective or disease preventive properties. There are more than a thousand known phytochemicals. It is well known that plants produce these chemicals to protect themselves but, recent research demonstrates that they can protect humans against diseases.

Phytochemical: Tannic Acid

Synonyms: Gallotanic acid, digallic acid, allotannin, tannimum.

Properties: Tannic acid has anti-bacterial, anti-enzymatic and astringent properties. Tannic acid has constringing action upon mucous tissues such as tongue and inside of mouth. The ingestion of tannic acid caused constipation and can be used to treat diarrhoea (in the absence of fever or inflammation). The anti-oxidant and anti-mutagenic properties of tannic acid are beneficial.

However, tannic acid should not be used continuously or in high quantities as it slows down the absorption of iron and possibly other trace minerals. A study by Afsana K et al entitled Reducing effect of ingesting tannic acid on the absorption of iron, but not of zinc, copper and manganese by rats. published by Bioscience, Biotechnology, and Biochemistry (March 2004) concluded that the usual intake of polyphenols is relatively safe, but that a high intake by supplementation or by dietary habit of tannin affects only the iron level.

Tannic acid can also reduce the effectiveness of digestive enzymes which is why you may get heartburn when drinking coffee brewed from a coffee maker if you drink it black. Use milk to offset the effect. The Tannic Acid in instant coffee is greatly reduced. Try it.

Facts about Tannic Acid: Tannic acid is also used in many industrial applications. The best known is the tanning of leather. Tannic acid is sometimes used to clear wines. Tannic acids reacts with proteins in wine to form insoluble complexes which sediment or can be filtered.

Virtually anything that is of caffeine has Tannic Acid. Externally, tannic acid is used to treat ulcers, toothache and wounds. Plants high in tannic acid have been used to treat cancers.

Description: Tannic acid is a polymer of gallic acid molecules and glucose. It the example there are 3 gallic acid molecules, but normally there are about 8. Because there are different molecular structures for tannic acid it would have been better to speak about tannic acids (in plural). Tannic acid will hydrolyze into glucose and gallic or ellagic acid units. Tannic acid is odourless but has a very astringent taste. Pure tannic acid is a light yellowish and amorphous powder.

Distribution: Tea, nettle, wood, berries, Chinese galls. Oak wood is very rich in tannic acid. When wine is kept in oak kegs some tannic acid will migrate into the wine. High levels of tannic acid are found in some plant galls. These are formed by plants when they are infected by certain insects. These insects pierce the plant leaves and when the egg hatches out into a larva the plant produces a gall which surrounds the larva.

Phytochemical Plants Vegetables • Broccoli • Fennel • Garlic • Tomato Fruits and Nuts • Acai • Almond • Bilberry • Black Raspberry • Blackberry • Blackcurrant • Cranberry • Grape • Guarana • Hazelnut • Mangosteen • Maqui Berry • Noni • Olive • Orange • Pomegranate • Red Raspberry • Sea Buckthorn • Wild Strawberry • Wolfberry Medicinal Plants • Broom • Comfrey • Echinacea • Ginkgo • Goat's Rue • Lesser Celandine • Lungwort • Opium Poppy • Passion Fruit • Periwinkle • Red Bryony • Valerian • Wintergreen Common Herbs • Aloe vera • American Ginseng • Bayberry • Clary Sage • Common Mallow • Cornsilk • Dandelion • Ground Ivy • Hawthorn • Hop • Hyssop • Indian Cress • Korean Ginseng • Lemon Balm • Lemon Verbena • Marigold • Marshmallow • Milfoil		• Milk Thistle • Mullein • Psyllium • Red clover • Rooibos • Rosemary • Sage • Schizandra • Stinging Nettle • Sweet Clover • Tea • Uva Ursi • Wild Carrot • Wild Pansy • Witch Hazel • Woodruff Beans • Cacao • Soy List of Phytochemicals: Alkaloids • Caffeine • Theobromine • Theophylline Anthocyanins • Cyanidin • Malvidin Carotenoids • Beta-Carotene • Lutein • Lycopene Coumestans Flavan-3-Ols Flavonoids • Epicatechin • Hesperidin • Isorhamnetin • Kaempferol • Myricetin • Naringin • Nobiletin • Proanthocyanidins • Quercetin • Resveratrol • Rutin • Tangeretin Hydroxycinnamic Acids • Chicoric acid • Coumarin • Ferulic acid • Scopoletin Isoflavones • Daidzein • Genistein Lignans • Silymarin Monophenols • Hydroxytyrosol

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