Nahrung. 2003 Dec;47(6):408-12.

In vitro influence of spices and spice- active principles on digestive enzymes of rat pancreas and small intestine . Ramakrishna Rao R, Platel K, Srinivasan K. Department of Biochemistry and Nutrition, Central Food Technological Research Institute, Mysore -570 013, India. In vitro influence of 14 individual spices (curcumin, capsaicin, piperine, garlic, onion, ginger, mint, coriander, cumin, ajowan, fennel, fenugreek, mustard, and asafoetida) on the activities of digestive enzymes of rat pancreas and small intestine was examined by including them in the reaction mixture at two different concentrations. A majority of spices enhanced the activity of pancreatic lipase and amylase when they are directly in contact with the enzyme. It is inferred that this positive influence on the activity of enzymes may have a supplementary role in the overall digestive stimulant action of spices, besides causing an enhancement of the titres of digestive enzymes in pancreatic tissue. PMID: 14727769 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE] ______________________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________ Nahrung. 2000 Feb;44(1):42-6.

Influence of dietary spices and their active principles on pancrea t ic digestive enzym es in albino rats. Platel K, Srinivasan K. Central Food Technological Research Institute, Department of Biochemistry and Nutrition, India. A few common spices or their active principles were examined for their possible influence on digestive enzymes of pancreas in experimental rat. Groups of animals were maintained for 8 weeks on the following spice diets: curcumin (0.5%), capsaicin (15 mg%), piperine (20 mg%), ginger (50 mg%), cumin (1.25%), fenugreek (2%), mustard (250 mg%) and asafoetida (250 mg%). Dietary curcumin, capsaicin, piperine, ginger, fenugreek and asafoetida prominently enhanced pancreatic lipase activity. Curcumin, capsaicin, piperine, ginger, cumin and asafoetida also stimulated pancreatic amylase. Trypsin was significantly stimulated by curcumin, capsaicin, piperine, ginger and cumin, while chymotrypsin was stimulated by all the spices tested except mustard. This stimulatory influence of test spices on the pancreatic digestive enzymes was however not observed when their intake was restricted to a single oral dose. The positive influences on the pancreatic digestive enzymes exerted by a good number of spices consumed in diet could be a factor contributing to the well recognised digestive stimulant action of spices. PMID: 10702999 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE] ______________________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________ Int J Food Sci Nutr. 1996 Jan;47(1):55-9.

Influence of dietary spices or their active principles on digestive enzymes of small intestinal mucosa in rats. Platel K, Srinivasan K. Department of Biochemistry & Nutrition, Central Food Technological Research Institute, Mysore, India. A few common spices or their active principles, were examined for their possible influence on digestive enzymes of intestinal mucosa in experimental rat. The animals were fed the following diets for 8 weeks: control, curcumin (0.5%), capsaicin (15 mg%), piperine (20 mg%), ginger (50 mg%), cumin (1.25%), fenugreek (2%), mustard (250 mg%) and asafoetida (250 mg%). Dietary curcumin, capsaicin, piperine and ginger prominantly enhanced intestinal lipase activity and also the disaccharidases sucrase and maltase. Dietary cumin, fenugreek, mustard and asafoetida brought about

decreases in the levels of phosphatases and sucrase. The positive influences of a good number of spices on these terminal enzymes of digestive process could be an additional feature of species that are generally well recognized to stimulate digestion. PMID: 8616674 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]