Eggplant is a nutritious food belongs to nightshade family. It is also known as aubergine or brinjal. It has been traditionally used for various medicinal purposes.

Nutritional profile

• It contains lesser amount of carbohydrates thus it is considered as a low glycemic food
• Whereas it is significantly rich in fibre
• It contains lesser amount of protein as well
• It is packed with several important micronutrients such as Vitamin C, Vitamin K, Vitamin B9, calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, potassium and manganese
• It is also loaded with numerous phytonutrients that exert various nutraceutical activities

Biological activity                                

Antioxidant activity

• It is loaded with antioxidants among which nasunin is extremely beneficial
• It mainly helps to decrease the concentration of free radicals within body and protects the body from their harmful effects
• It is also associated with preventing cellular damages and helps in sustaining cellular functions that ultimately promotes overall wellbeing
• Moreover its consumption is very useful for reducing the susceptibility of developing chronic diseases as its antioxidant components are responsible for preventing oxidative stress

Anti-carcinogenic activity

• Solasodine rhamnosyl glycosides are the components present in eggplant play vital role in reducing the prevalence of cancers as they have cancer fighting properties
• It plays vital role in suppressing the growth of malignant cells within body by inducing apoptosis and also prevents metastasis
• It has seen that consumption of eggplant significantly decreases the prevalence of skin cancer, colorectal cancer, stomach cancer, bladder cancer, cervical cancer, pancreatic cancer and breast cancer

Antimicrobial activity

• It exerts potent antimicrobial activity that helps to hinder the growth of microbes within host
• Its consumption is thus thought to be very helpful for reducing the susceptibility of developing infectious diseases

Health benefits

Role on nervous system

• Its consumption is very effective for promoting the health and activity of brain as it contains various important nutrients that help to support the normal functioning of nervous system
• Phytonutrients present in eggplant help to protect the membrane of brain cell from damages as a result help to sustain their activity
• It is also associated with facilitating message transfer from one cell to another and aids in preserving memory function

• The antioxidant nasunin plays vital role in protecting nerve cells from free radical induced oxidative damages as a result helps in reducing the risk of developing neurological disorders like dementia, Alzheimer’s disease etc
• Its consumption is also very useful for improving cognition

Role on immunity

• Antioxidants, phytonutrients and micronutrients components of eggplant play imperative role in strengthening the overall immune system of body as a result it helps in decreasing the susceptibility of becoming ill
• Its antimicrobial activity helps in shielding the body from any foreign invaders as a result lowers the risk of developing infectious diseases
• It helps to promote the functionality of immune cells too, by protecting them from oxidative damages
• It is also associated with enhancing the resistance power of body hence makes the defense mechanism relatively stronger

Role on eye health

• It is better to inclued eggplant in diet for obtaining a healthy eye
• It is significantly rich in lutein that plays vital role in reducing the susceptibility of age related macular degeneration, which is considered as one of the leading causes of blindness
• Its antioxidant activity is also related with protecting the eye from oxidative damages, which ultimately reduces the risk of developing eye disorders
• It helps to promote vision as well

Role on digestive health

• Incorporation of eggplant in diet is very useful for obtaining a healthy digestive system
• Its fibre content, micronutrients and phytonutrient components play significant role in promoting overall gastrointestinal health
• Fibre present in eggplant acts as laxative thus its consumption is thought to be very effective for preventing constipation. It is closely related with enhancing bowel movement as a result facilitates defecation
• It is also associated with promoting colonic health
• It helps to improve gut health as well

Role on skeletal system

• It plays important role in strengthening the skeletal system as it contains various imperative nutrients, which are essentially required by the body for healthy bone formation
• Calcium and phosphorus present in eggplant helps in bone mineralization as a result help to improve bone mass and bone mineral density
• Its magnesium component helps in bone metabolism
• Potassium present in eggplant is also associated with preventing calcium loss thus helps in restoring bone mineral density
• It is extremely helpful for preventing osteoporosis

Role on maternal health

• Consumption of eggplant during gestational period is very beneficial as it contains significant amount of folic acid, which is considered as one of the most important nutrients for expecting mother

• It helps to prevent birth defects
• Its consumption is also related with reducing the prevalence of abnormalities in both mother as well as fetus and also lowers the risk of delivery complications

Role on skin

• Consumption of eggplant is very helpful for promoting overall skin health as it contains various important components like vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, anthocyanins, all of which play crucial role in nourishing the skin as a result make the skin supple
• It helps to improve skin glow
• It is also associated with improving the appearance of skin
• It helps to prevent premature aging too

Therapeutic uses

It has been extensive used for various therapeutic purposes, which include –

• It is widely used an important therapeutic substance for cardiac health. It contains various cardio protective nutrients among which nasunin is considered as one of the most important polyphenolic substances that is very beneficial for heart
• Micronutrient present in eggplant helps in promoting cardiac functionality
• Its fibre content helps in decreasing cholesterol concentration in body as a result helps in preventing atherosclerosis (which is considered as one of the leading causes of cardiovascular diseases) by inhibiting fat deposition within blood vessels
• Its magnesium component helps in maintaining heart beat and helps to reduce the prevalence of arrhythmias

• Its consumption is also associated with preventing hypertension as potassium present in eggplant helps in vasodilation that subsequently reduces high blood pressure
• It also helps in preventing obesity and all the credit goes to its fibre content. Fibre helps in reducing total body fat percentage whereas it is also associated with keeping an individual full for long period of time as a result prevent over eating and facilitates weight reduction
• As it is low in soluble carbohydrate and high in fibre thus its consumption is thought to be very effective for diabetic patient because it does not enhance the risk of increasing blood sugar load. Its fibre content is accountable for delaying glucose absorption from intestine, which is also responsible for decreasing postprandial blood sugar load
• Its folic acid content helps in stimulating the synthesis and maturation of RBC thus its consumption is thought to be very much helpful for reducing the prevalence of anemia as well

Culinary uses

• It is extremely versatile and can easily incorporated in diet
• It can be baked and consumed
• It can also be roasted
• It can be sautéed or grilled and can be consumed with a drizzle of olive oil
• It can be utilized with other vegetables for preparing vegetable curries or mixed vegetables

Fraikue, F.B., 2016. Unveiling the potential utility of eggplant: a review. In Conference Proceedings of INCEDI (Vol. 1, pp. 883-895).

Gürbüz, N., Uluişik, S., Frary, A., Frary, A. and Doğanlar, S., 2018. Health benefits and bioactive compounds of eggplant. Food chemistry, 268, pp.602-610.

Naeem, M.Y. and Ugur, S., 2019. Nutritional content and health benefits of eggplant. Turkish Journal of Agriculture-Food Science and Technology, 7(sp3), pp.31-36.

Sharma, M. and Kaushik, P., 2021. Biochemical Composition of Eggplant Fruits: A Review. Applied Sciences, 11(15), p.7078.

Sukprasansap, M., Sridonpai, P. and Phiboonchaiyanan, P.P., 2019. Eggplant fruits protect against DNA damage and mutations. Mutation Research/Fundamental and Molecular Mechanisms of Mutagenesis, 813, pp.39-45.