A truly integrated collection of research, this book compares Ayurvedic and Western conceptions of wellness, healthy lifestyle, and diet. Examining the phyto-pharmacological, phytochemical, clinical, ethnobotanical, socio-cultural, and biomedical approaches to plant- and herb-based healthy diets and wellness, it includes approximately 40 selected monographs on fruits, vegetables, spices, nuts, and seeds complete with Ayurvedic and traditional uses as nutritional ingredients. It offers evidence based on the scientific literature on chemical composition, nutritional properties, mechanisms of action and influences at the cellular level as well as extensive references for further study.