Athletes

Plants have been an intrinsic part of Indian culture and embedded in our daily lives in many vital forms. Many plants hold an important place in the religious sphere of the Indian way of life, medicinal value, and different cuisines. Ayurveda, the most ancient traditional medicine system in India, is widelypracticed, and the majority of people rely on plants and plant extracts for their primary health care needs. Among the multidimensional importance of plants in different fields, one of the emergent scientific interests is plants' role in enhancing physical performance, including sports and exercise performance in humans. In the current review, we have explored some selected traditionalIndian plants in promoting sports and exercise performance. Some of these plants are used as everyday ingredients in Indian food recipes. However, their role in physical performance enhancement is not scientifically studied in detail. Some studies have started bringing up their value as supplements for athletes, and much more still needs to be investigated in future research. The research initiated in establishing the importance of these plants as supplements for athletes is advancing rapidly. It is of great interest to athletes because there is a massivedemand for natural alternatives for enhancing sports performance and avoidingthe use of performance-enhancing drugs with harmful side effects. Therefore, this review aims to provide an overview of the growing body of literature for plant-based dietary supplements with the potential to promote physical performance. The plants discussed in this review are Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera), Arjuna (Terminalia arjuna), Ginger (Zingiber officinale), Turmeric (Curcuma longa), Tulsi (Ocimum sanctum), Cinnamon (Cinnamomum verum), and Saffron (Crocus sativus).The scientific studies on some of the traditional Indian plants compiled in this review illustrate their performance boosting positive attributes such as anti-inflammatory activity, antioxidant activity, muscle repair activity, decreasing muscle damage and soreness, increasing muscle growth and muscle mass, delaying fatigue, stabilizing blood sugar levels, reducing cholesterol, improving lipid profile, increasing endurance, improving gut health, relieving training stress, inducing cardioprotective effect, reducing muscle pain via analgesic effect, increased adaptation to training and many more benefits for a stronger and healthier physique and improved performance. Some of these plants are already used as supplements in sports nutrition for enhanced physical performance or sporting excellence regardless of adequate scientific evidence of large scale studies.