Potential of Cydonia oblonga leaves in cardiovascular disease.

Nowadays plant-based medi- cine or herbal medicine research is be- coming more prevalent all over the world, presumably due to natural acces- sibility and fewer adverse effects. Quince (Cydonia oblonga Miller), a plant in the Rosaceae family, is considered to be a good and cheap natural source for po- tent antioxidants including phenolic acids and flavonoids. There have been limited investigations on the efficacy of quince leaves in heart function. The potential for prophylactic and therapeutic effects of quince leaves in reducing cardiovascular disease is discussed based on its bene- ficial constituents. The review covers the findings from traditional medicines and various actions of effective constituents demonstrated in other investigations in- cluding antioxidant, antiatherogenic, anti- inflammation, antihypertensive and vaso - dilatory effects, which all are in accor- dance with the hypothesis of a beneficial role of quince in cardiovascular health. INTRODUCTION Quince (Cydonia ob- longa Miller), the sole member of the ge- nus Cydonia of the Rosaceae family, is a small, deciduous tree, 5-8 m tall and 4-6 m wide, with bright yellow pome-like fruits 7-12 cm long and 6-9 cm broad. The leaves are simple, elliptical, 6-11 cm long with fine white hairs. The white or pink flowers 5 cm across are produced in spring