Hi ,
I love spices. They make the bland and ordinary into something great. What most people don’t know is that spices were and are the essential natural medicines that can help us stay healthy in this crazy world. Herbs and spices have been used for thousands of years for every sort of ailment we humans are prone to.
What is the difference between an herb and a spice I hear you ask? They may overlap, but spices refer to plant components with strongly aromatic smells, while herb refers to any flowering plant whose stem does not become woody above ground. So something like sage would be both, while cinnamon is a woody tree bark and so would only be considered a spice.
Every time you season your food with spices, you are turning the meal into a powerhouse of nutrition. Popular in the nutrition world today is the importance of antioxidants. We are advised to eat such foods as blueberries and pomegranates because they are so high in antioxidants. And yet many spices have 10 to 50 times as many antioxidants as these super foods. These antioxidants fight heart disease, cancer, diabetes, arthritis, Alzheimer’s, and aging in general.
What other amazing properties do spices have?
Many spices are super anti-inflammatories – some even more powerful than common drugs for inflammation.
Spices kill bacteria, viruses, and fungus. This was one of the main historical reasons spices were added to food because it helped preserve the foods from spoiling back in the day before refrigerators.
Many spices help regulate your blood sugar and control your insulin levels even better than diabetes drugs.
Some spices raise your metabolism to give you more energy and help you burn extra calories.
Certain spices affect your hormone levels to bring things back into balance.
Other spices calm your nerves and sooth your aching muscles and joints.
The list keeps going on and on. Lets talk about some specific spices…
Cinnamon: This spice has made big news the last few years because of its tremendous ability to regulate blood sugar levels. As little as 2 teaspoons a day have been found to reduce blood sugar by 20 – 30% as well as reduce LDL cholesterol levels and triglyceride levels. Cinnamon can be added to smoothies, coffee, tea, yogurt, hot cereal, and healthy baked goods.
Cinnamon is also a powerful anti-inflammatory helping with muscle and joint pain and stiffness. Some studies have found it helps memory and attention. It also reduces the inflammation in blood vessels, thereby reducing atherosclerosis and heart disease.
Basil: Basil is a go to herb for fighting the bacteria that cause food poisoning, including Listeria, Staph, and E. coli. It is a powerful anti-inflammatory herb with extraordinary healing benefits that work for arthritis, allergies, and inflammatory bowel conditions.
Basil is an excellent source of beta carotene, a powerful antioxidant that prevents free radical damage – the primary cause of heart disease, cancer, and many other serious health conditions, as well as aging. It is an excellent source of vitamin K, calcium and magnesium, which is good for the bones. It is also a great source of iron, manganese, vitamin C and potassium.
Cloves: Cloves have the highest measured anti-oxidant value of any plant substance on the planet. Cloves are probably best known as a remedy for tooth and gum pain. You can buy clove oil at the pharmacy to place on your gums when they are sore. Simply rub it directly on painful teeth to relieve the pain. It also has strong antiseptic and germicidal ingredients that help fight infections, relieve digestive problems, and arthritis pain. Clove oil kills bacteria and is very effective when applied to scrapes, cuts, fungal infections, itchy rashes, bites, burns, or bruises.
Cloves help digestive problems like gas, indigestion, nausea and vomiting, and eliminate harmful parasites, bacteria and fungus in the digestive system. Its unique sweet but spicy flavor makes a great addition to hot teas as well as stews, baked goods, and of course pumpkin pie.
Cayenne: This hot spice is probably best appreciated as the main ingredient in Tabasco Sauce and similar hot sauces. It raises metabolism and helps you to sweat more – which is a good thing in hot environments. This is why it is so commonly used in the warmer latitudes and not up in colder climates. Sweating also helps to detoxify your body. Contrary to what you would think, cayenne is actually healing to the gut and helps prevent stomach ulcers. It can also help you lose weight by decreasing your appetite while raising your metabolism.
Cayenne is widely used in sports rubs to decrease pain around joints. It helps prevent clots from forming in the blood to decrease strokes, while also decreasing LDL cholesterol and triglycerides. It is a good general anti-inflammatory for everything from headaches to sore muscles and joint pain.
Obviously the best place to use cayenne is on tacos, in chili, and on steak and eggs, but it can find its way into lots of unusual places like salad dressings, desserts, and baked goods. But the biggest use for cayenne is in the making of the fermented vegetable dish Kim Chi. At the Asian market they sell cayenne in 50 pound bags for this purpose.
Cumin: Cumin is another spice that is especially high in antioxidants. However cumin is best known for being good for digestion. It stimulates the gallbladder and pancreas to secrete enzymes and bile that help you break down your food into usable nutrients your body can use. Cumin helps detoxify the body, and is highly effective for respiratory disorders like asthma and bronchitis.
Cumin is a good source of iron, vitamin C, and vitamin A, and like cinnamon, it is a good blood sugar regulator. Cumin has been proven to work as well as some commonly used diabetic drugs at regulating insulin and glycogen.
Black Pepper: Pepper seeds are the most widely traded spice in the world. At various points in history it was so valuable that it was used as a form of currency. Black pepper, either powdered or its decoction, is widely used in traditional Indian medicine and as a home remedy for relief from sore throat, throat congestion, cough etc. Pepper accelerates the burning of fat in the body, raises metabolism and interestingly, it increases serotonin and beta-endorphin production in the brain.
Probably one of the most interesting properties of pepper is its ability to greatly increase the absorption of certain nutrients into the body. It can dramatically increase absorption of selenium, vitamin B, beta-carotene and curcumin, as well as other nutrients.
Next week I will tackle another round of wonderful spices. If you are not currently using spices in your cooking, then please consider adding these health promoting flavor elements into your dishes. This is the origin of natural medicine. Throughout history it was herbs and spices that everyone turned to for healing their ailments. Our modern petrochemical based medicine industry has only been around for about 150 years. Herbs and spices have been around for millions of years. Our bodies are familiar with these substances and know how to use them effectively without being poisoned by them. I can’t say that for petrochemicals.
Take care,
David