Effects of Pistachios and Their Different Plant Parts on Various Disorders: Evidence about Their Therapeutic Effects on Diabetes Mellitus, Gastrointestinal and Liver Disorders, as well as Blood Pressure

The genus Pistacia is from the family Anacardiaceae, which contains about 70 genera and over 600 species. Various genera of Pistacia are widely spread from the Mediterranean region to the Central Asia, some of which including Pistacia lentiscus L., P. atlantica Desf., P. terebinthus L., P. vera L., and P. khinjuk.

The present study aims to collect the latest information from databases regarding beneficial effects of pistachio plant parts and nuts.

Different plant parts of pistachios are beneficial for various diseases. The P. vera fruit extracts exerted favorable effects on HDL and LDL levels in a rabbit model of atherosclerosis. The oleogum resin, being obtained from Pistacia lentiscus, is widely used as an effective therapeutic remedy for curing inflammatory bowel disease in traditional Iranian medicine. Serum glucose levels significantly decreased in diabetic patients who received P. lentiscus var. chia gum.

Against this backdrop, in this review article, we aim to investigate beneficial effects of pistachio fruit and its plant parts on different clinical states, such as gastrointestinal disorders, liver diseases, diabetes, and blood pressure.