Bioavailability / bioefficacy enhancing activity of Cuminum cyminum and extracts and fractions thereof

A composition for enhancing the bioavailability or bioefficacy of a drug, nutrient, vitamin, nutraceutical, herbal drug, herbal product, micro nutrient or antioxidant;

• comprising:
• i) an effective amount of an extract selected from the group consisting of fraction 1, fraction 2, fraction 3, fraction 4 and fraction 5 from Cuminum cyminum;
• said extract prepared by the process comprising
• a) extracting crushed plant material of Cuminum cyminum with water or 50% aqueous alcoholic solvent at a temperature range of 95–100° C. to obtain an aqueous extract or aqueous alcoholic extract respectively, and
• b) extracting a portion of the aqueous extract of step a) with n-butanol (n-BuOH), separating the n-butanol layer and an aqueous layer;
• c) evaporating and freeze drying the n-butanol layer of step b) to obtain fraction 1;
• or
• d) evaporating and freeze drying the aqueous layer of step (b) to obtain fraction 2;
• or
• e) refluxing a portion of the aqueous extract of step a) with alcohol, pooling the alcohol extract and separating the residue left over, and
• f) evaporating the pooled alcohol extract of step e) to obtain a residue as fraction 3;
• or
• g) extracting the residue of step (e) with 50% aqueous alcoholic solvent to obtain 50% aqueous alcoholic soluble portion and residue, said residue comprising fraction 5;
• or
• h) evaporating the aqueous alcoholic soluble portion of step (g) to obtain a residue fraction 4;
• i) one or more additives selected from the group consisting of drugs, nutrients, vitamins, nutraceuticals, herbal drugs, herbal products, micro nutrients, and antioxidants;
• and a pharmaceutically acceptable additive, excipient or a mixture thereof, and iii) optionally, an effective amount of piperine, or an extract of Piper nigrum or Piper longum.