Shahspran: A Forgotten Medicinal Plant in Foods

Tanacetum balsamita is medicinal plant belongs to the copmosiate family which locally called Shahsparan. Shahsparan is distributed in East Azerbaijan and widely used as a pain killer, cardiac tonic and tranquilizer in Iranian traditional medicine systems. Shahsparan possess high content of yellowish essential oil which carvone, α-thujone and camphor are the main bioactive compounds. These compounds can cause unique biological properties such as antioxidant, antimicrobial, analgesic and anti-inflammatory activities. Due to its beneficial effects, shahspran has potential for more cultivation and more usage in food and pharmaceutical industries. Unfortunately, its importance considerably diminished. In this mini review, the chemical composition of its essential oil as well as its biological activities was introduced. In addition, the extraction process of its essential oil for potential application in food industry was also discussed.