Proso millet also known as hog millet, white millet, barrage, panivaragu, is a nutritious millet, which has been consumed for centuries. It has numerous medicinal advantages.

Characteristics

• It has a pale yellow or creamy yellow colour
• It has a nutty flavor
• It is considered as easily digestible millet
• It is also gluten free

Nutritional profile

• It contains desirable amount of carbohydrates and dietary fibres
• It contains protein as well. It is significantly rich in various amino acids like methionine, leucine and isoleucine thus its protein quality is considered as relatively higher than other millets
• It also contains too some extent of fat both saturated and unsaturated but does not contain cholesterol
• It is packed with various micronutrients and especially rich in B Vitamins, Vitamin E, calcium, phosphorus, copper, iron, zinc and manganese

Biological activity

Anti-carcinogenic activity

• It contains various important nutrients that help to keep cancer away
• Its fibre content is responsible for exerting anti-carcinogenic activity
• Lignans, is another important phytonutrient present in proso millet that also exerts anti-carcinogenic activity

• It mainly hinders the growth of malignant cells by inhibiting cellular proliferation
• It significantly decreases the prevalence of breast cancer and liver cancer

Anti-ageing activity

• It is loaded with antioxidants, which are responsible for exhibiting anti-ageing activity
• It has seen that free radicals are responsible for damaging cells and result in ageing. Antioxidant plays imperative role in decreasing the concentration of free radicals in body thus helps to protect the body from its harmful consequences
• Its consumption is associated with delaying the aging process and promotes well being
• It has seen that individual who consume proso millet are found relatively healthier even in their older years

Detoxifying activity

• It helps to stimulate the process of toxin elimination
• It is closely related with promoting hepatic functions and helps to improve the ability of liver to detoxify the body
• It is better to consume proso millet for cleansing the body effectively

Health benefits

Role on nervous system

• Proso millet contains adequate amount of lecithin (phospholipid), which is considered as an important constituent of cell membrane and also essentially required by the body for supporting neural health
• It has seen that lecithin is associated with preventing the deterioration of mental capacity

• Its antioxidant activity is also responsible for protecting the brain cells from oxidative damages and promotes their functionality
• It acts as potent memory booster and plays significant role in reducing the prevalence of memory disorders like Alzheimer’s disease and dementia
• It helps to improve cognition as well
• Consumption of proso millet is extremely beneficial for strengthening the nervous system

Role on weight management

• Its fibre content is responsible for preventing obesity. It helps in providing a feeling of satiety that inhibits craving thus reduces food intake as a result a negative energy balance is developed within body, which facilitates weight reduction
• It also helps to increase the catabolic rate of the body that ultimately increases energy expenditure and promotes weight reduction
• Its lecithin component is also accountable for reducing weight. It has seen that lecithin is associated with breaking down blood fat and dietary fat into small molecules. It also helps in preventing the accumulation of fat in body tissue especially in liver thus helps to decrease total body fat percentage

Role on skeletal health

• It is a rich source of calcium and phosphorus, both of which are essentially required by the body for bone growth and maintenance
• It helps to make the bone strengthen
• It has seen that its consumption is closely related with improving mineralization of bone thus it helps to increases bone mass density

• Children whose bones are in the growing phase require plenty of calcium for promoting bone development and they should consume proso millet as proso millet contains calcium in absorbable form
• Its consumption is very effective for reducing the risk of developing bone disorders

Role on reducing cholesterol level

• Consumption of proso millet is extremely effective for regulating cholesterol metabolism 

• Individual with elevated cholesterol level should consume proso millet as it is linked with decreasing the cholesterol concentration in body
• Fibre component of proso millet is considered as the main component that helps to reduce the level of bad cholesterol or LDL in body
• It helps to increase the synthesis of HDL as well thus its consumption is very much useful for maintaining a healthy ratio of LDL and HDL in body

Role on hemoglobin level

• It is a rich source of iron thus its consumption is really very effective for stimulating the synthesis of hemoglobin
• It is also associated with increasing the production of RBC
• Its consumption is very much helpful for reducing the prevalence of iron deficiency anemia

Role on improving Vitamin E status

• It contains enough Vitamin E thus its consumption is closely related with improving Vitamin E status in body
• Being a good source of Vitamin E it helps to stimulate the production of prostaglandin that plays essential role in regulating muscle contraction as well as blood pressure
• Its Vitamin E content is also responsible for improving immune functions
• Vitamin E found in proso millet helps to protect cells from damages and also decreases the susceptibility of developing chronic diseases
• It also helps to promote the skin health and plays significant role in protecting the skin from the harmful effect of UV radiation

Therapeutic advantages

Role on preventing cardiovascular diseases

• Its fibre content, micronutrient contents and cholesterol lowering effect make it an imperative therapeutic substance for promoting cardiac health
• It helps to decrease the prevalence of atherosclerosis and coronary artery disease
• It also lowers the risk of strokes
• It helps to prevent hypertension as well

Hypoglycemic effects

• It plays significant role in reducing blood sugar concentration
• It helps to prevent insulin resistance thus helps to regulate blood sugar level
• Its fibre content also helps to decrease glucose load
• It helps to decrease the prevalence of type 2 diabetes mellitus

Role on preventing hepatic disorders

• It helps to prevent fatty infiltration of liver cell thus decreases the prevalence of fatty liver disease
• It also reduces the risk of gall stone formation

Vitamin B3 deficiency

Being a good source of B3 its consumption significantly decreases the prevalence of pellagra

Celiac disease

Individual with celiac disease can consume proso millet as it is gluten free

Culinary uses

• It can be consumed whole or can also be consumed cooked
• It can be stir fried and consumed with vegetables
• It can also be consumed with milk and honey as breakfast meal
• It can be tossed in salads
• It can also used for preparing several traditional dishes like dosa, idli, kichdi, polao,  upma, soup, tadka etc

General consideration of using Proso millet

• It should be washed properly before cooking
• It should be stored properly for preventing its spoilage
• It has seen that storage of proso millet in warm and dry condition significantly improves its self life

Jinshad, K. and Pillai, M.K., 2019. The Nutritional Composition, various processing and health benefits of Proso Millet: A Review. Research Journal of Pharmacy and Technology, 12(8), pp.4013-4017.

Mathanghi, S.K., Kanchana, S. and Perasiriyan, V., Pinnacles of Proso millet (Panicum miliaceum L.): A nutri millet.

McSweeney, M.B., Seetharaman, K., Dan Ramdath, D. and Duizer, L.M., 2017. Chemical and physical characteristics of proso millet (Panicum miliaceum)‐based products. Cereal Chemistry, 94(2), pp.357-362.

Sanderson, E., Duizer, L.M. and McSweeney, M.B., 2017. De ive analysis of a new proso millet product. International journal of gastronomy and food science, 8, pp.14-18.

Shen, R., Ma, Y., Jiang, L., Dong, J., Zhu, Y. and Ren, G., 2018. Chemical composition, antioxidant, and antiproliferative activities of nine Chinese proso millet varieties. Food and Agricultural Immunology, 29(1), pp.625-637.

Zhang, L., Liu, R. and Niu, W., 2014. Phytochemical and antiproliferative activity of proso millet. PloS one, 9(8), p.e104058.