*Review* **The Dual Nature of Amaranth—Functional Food and Potential Medicine**

**Justyna Baraniak \* and Małgorzata Kania-Dobrowolska**

Department of Pharmacology and Phytochemistry, Institute of Natural Fibres and Medicinal Plants National Research Institute, Wojska Polskiego 71b Str., 60-630 Poznan, Poland; malgorzata.kania@iwnirz.pl **\***Correspondence:justyna.baraniak@iwnirz.pl;Tel.: +48-61-665-95-50

**Abstract:** The beneficial health-promoting properties of plants have been known to mankind for generations. Preparations from them are used to create recipes for dietary supplements, functional food, and medicinal products. Recently, amaranth has become an area of increasing scientific and industrial interest. This is due to its valuable biological properties, rich phytochemical composition, and wide pharmacological activity. Amaranth is a pseudo-cereal crop with a dual character, combining the features of food and health-promoting product. This paper briefly and concisely reviews the current information on the chemical composition of amaranth, the value of its supplementation, the status of amaranth as a food ingredient as well as its key biological and pharmacological activities. The beneficial biological properties of amaranth preparations described in this paper may be an incentive to conduct further in-depth scientific research in this field and also to promote the development of innovative technologies in the food and cosmetics industry with the use of this plant.

**Keywords:** amaranth; pseudo-cereals; functional food; biological activity; pharmacological activity; health benefits
