Throughout history herbs and spices are incredibly important for their culinary uses and medicinal properties. Modern science has also proved them to having these powerful benefits, and hence everyone is using them in one way or another. Some of the common spices are cardamom, turmeric, basil, sage, ginger, garlic, cinnamon the list is endless. For this reason, stock some of these healthy spices in your kitchen, and plant some in your vegetable garden for personal use. This makes it easy to get extra nutrition and add flavor to your meal recipes. Below are some spices and herbs you can use for their great benefits.
Ginger
To begin with, ginger is one of the common spices in every home. This spice is known to have anti-inflammatory properties and can treat nausea. Also, it is common in the usage of alternative medicine. Many people prefer it due to how it treats nausea either from seasickness, morning sickness, or chemotherapy. Plus, if you have a headache or other sort of pain, consuming a refreshment with ginger will help with pain management due to the anti-inflammatory properties. Try mixing it with other spices like garlic and cayenne pepper in your stews to enrich it and enjoy the Health Benefits of Ginger.
Cayenne pepper
If you love your dishes spicy, you can use cayenne pepper as it is a good option for a type of chili. It has capsaicin which is an active ingredient that helps to reduce appetite, and according to some studies it helps to increase fat burning. Hence, in weight loss supplements it is a common ingredient. Therefore, as you add your grated ginger, crushed garlic, a bit of cardamomto your stews, you can add a little cayenne pepper to spice up your meal and also to get the other benefits. Cayenne pepper also has anticancer effects, but it is yet to be test on humans. However, there is anticancer potential in animal studies.
Garlic
Garlic is both a herb or a spice. In ancient times, garlic was common for its medicinal properties. It contains a compound that is known as allicin that is responsible not only for the health effects but the distinct smell. If you need to combat sickness especially the common cold, garlic is the go-to herb. Garlic helps improve heart health as it helps reduce cholesterol with up to 15%. Taking garlic often is great to significantly reduce blood pressure with people already suffering from it. Garlic has many more incredible health benefits, hence why you should add it to your meals or take supplements.
Cinnamon
This is a popular spice among most people. It is found in most baked goods and all sorts of recipes. People love it a lot due to its positive effects on lowering blood sugar levels, by improving insulin sensitivity and helps slow the breakdown of carbs in the digestive tract. Through this mechanism, it helps lower blood sugar. Cinnamon helps fight inflammation and lower triglycerides in the blood. Since it has a powerful anti-diabetic effect it is a good spice for diabetic patients. Also, the cinnamaldehyde compound that is contained in cinnamon, helps with the medicinal properties. As it has antibacterial and antifungal properties that help lower infections and help with bad breath and tooth decay.
Rosemary
For centuries, the leaves and stems of this popular herb help to combat many ailments. Rosmarinic acid is the active ingredient in rosemary. Through this substance, rosemary helps prevent nasal congestion and allergies. Rosemary is common not only for its culinary value but in aromatherapy. It is ideal for teas and stews. While for aromatherapy it is vital to help with memory and concentration and age-related cognitive decline. It is amazing in combatting stress and other incredible uses are, it helps in digestion issues, muscle pains, and aches, among others.
Turmeric
Most curries and rice dishes that have a rich yellow color is due to the turmeric spice put while cooking. The curcumin spice that is found in turmeric includes powerful anti-inflammatory effects, that match the effectiveness of some anti-inflammatory drugs. Additionally, it is a great antioxidant helping boost the body’s antioxidant enzymes and also help fight oxidative damage. Also, it has amazing benefits against depression due to the curcumin present that helps alleviate the symptoms.
Sage
Various cuisines around the world use sage as a staple herb. Its incredible health benefits include improving brain memory and function hence it is powerful in people with Alzheimer’s disease. It has a reputation since old times due to its healing properties. Plus, it supports oral health since it has antimicrobial properties that kill microbes that support the growth of dental plaque. Fresh sage is best as a traditional remedy to alleviate diarrhea by relaxing your gut. Add sage sparingly to your dishes and not only enjoy its aromatic flavor but its health benefits too.
Holy basil
This basil is different from the Thai basil and regular basil. In India, it is a sacred herb. The holy basil helps stop the growth of various bacteria, molds, and yeast. In this way, it helps to boost immunity and fight infections. Anyone having anxiety or anxiety-causing depression can use the holy basil as it’s known to treat this illness. Plus, it helps lower blood sugar levels after and before meals. Also, it is part of Indian medicine in helping treat ringworms and eye diseases. The greatest advantage of the holy basil herb is that different parts of the plant, treat different health conditions.
In summary, always add herbs and spices to your meals to make the meals tastier and boost your health. Therefore, the above herbs and spices are just a few that you can use regularly in your kitchen. Also, since herbs and spices are full of flavor they help you cut on less healthy ingredients like sugar, salt, and added fat. More importantly, choose to eat fresh or powder spice and herbs than to take it as a pill.
