Traditional rice varieties: A comprehensive review on its nutritional, medicinal, therapeutic and health benefit potential

Rice (Oryza sativa L) is one of the vital cereals with easy digestibility and therapeutic properties. Especially traditional rice is rich in nutrients and bioactive compounds to protect against lifestyle disorders. The antioxidant potential of some medicinal rice such as Kattuyanam, Mapillai samba, Navara, Karunguruvai, Kavuni, Kichadi samba, Illupaipoo samba, Kalanamak, Karudan samba, and Seeraga samba can treat human ailments, and it causes various physiological changes in the human body. Unpolished traditional rice has additional properties compared to ordinary polished rice since the bran layers contain high bioactive components like polyphenols, phytochemicals, antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals. These components can control several biological diseases such as carcinoma, cardiovascular disease, neurological disorder, nephrological disorder, and diabetes. Malnutrition is one of the significant problems in developing countries, so the consumption of traditional rice to cure nutritional related deficiencies like PEM (Protein-Energy Malnutrition), and the presence of zinc, iron, folate, and vitamins are beneficial. Therefore, the present study reviews the nutritional significance, therapeutic properties, and physiological effects of Indian rice varieties on the human body.