Spices come from many plants and trees, incorporating various parts, such as roots, stems, seeds, flowers, bark, or fruits, depending on the plant and spice. Examples of common spices include ginger, turmeric, and cinnamon, and you will find many health benefits of spices such as these. Many spices have effects on our health that can improve our daily lives.
Spices differ from herbs, which come from the plant’s green, leafy part. Herb examples include sage, basil, parsley, and oregano.
Some plants can be found in both categories, such as cilantro, an herb, and coriander, a spice that comes from the seed of the same plant.
Spices may be ground or whole, with whole spices keeping their potency and flavor longer than ground spices or herbs. Oxygen exposure during grinding causes the volatile oils to break down quicker.
Herbs and spices are used in every culture, although some feature different ones based on their regions. India, Southeast Asia, the Caribbean, and the Mediterranean are well-known for various spices produced in those areas.
They have also been touted for their medicinal purposes, likely since the dawn of time when ancient humans first started foraging for food. Their use in medicine, religious rituals, and food preparation has been documented throughout the ages.
Why Do People Use Spices?
Spices have many uses, from enhancing food flavor to promoting healing from various ailments. They help freshen the air and create products we use every day.
Oils from many spices and herbs are used to make liqueurs, perfumes, cosmetics, toothpaste, and other useful items. Oil extracts from spices intensify the flavor and aroma, with perhaps vanilla being the most used extract in cooking.
Holistic healers and homeopaths often use herbs and spices in their preparations. “Alternative medicine” is taking us back to the roots of healthcare, where the focus is on reviving natural healing over pharmaceuticals.
Of course, most people are more familiar with using spices in their meal preparation. Many people grow herbs in their gardens, on patios, or kitchen counters. Indoor grow lights ensure a year-round supply of fresh herbs for cooking. Oregano, basil, thyme, parsley, mint, rosemary, and cilantro are familiar sights in these gardens.
Herbs and spices also help people cut back on salt, adding a different dimension of flavor to food without the need for less healthy additives. It is always best to use natural spices and herbs rather than supplements unless medically necessary.
Although the use of spices is often seen as for the benefit of taste in cooking, research into the benefits of phytochemicals in plants shows they have potent antioxidants that provide antibacterial and antifungal benefits that can help reduce foodborne bacteria.
Experimenting with different spices and herbs can help create exciting new meals. Learning about their essential oils can help you create safer house cleaning and personal care items.
What Health Benefits Do They Have?
Aside from their flavor-enhancing benefits, spices and herbs are powerful inflammation fighters. The health benefits of spices for the body have been long-researched and examined. The antioxidants in these plant compounds help protect your cells from damage. With over 100 different spices worldwide, you can probably find exciting ones to enhance your meals and health.
Fighting inflammation is crucial, as it leads to many other health problems. Reducing inflammation can help protect against developing chronic diseases and cancers.
Let us look at how herbs and spices have effects on our health:
- Cinnamon: This spice adds sweetness without needing sweeteners. It is used in baked goods, cider, and oatmeal and added to coffee, tea, or yogurt. Many cultures use cinnamon in stews, as a meat rub, or in other food preparations.
A highly popular spice, cinnamon has been found to have powerful antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties from the compound cinnamaldehyde. It has been mentioned to lower blood sugar, cholesterol, triglyceride, and blood pressure levels. Cinnamon’s health benefits slow carbohydrate breakdown in the digestive tract to improve insulin sensitivity – a benefit that could help diabetic patients. (*Note: it is not a replacement for diabetes medications – speak to your doctor for guidance.)
A study on mice found that cinnamon bark extract improved their cognitive ability, warranting further research.
Purchase Ceylon cinnamon instead of cassia cinnamon, which contains higher compound levels that can be toxic if consumed regularly in higher doses.
- Turmeric: Containing the active ingredient curcumin, turmeric adds its flavor to many soup and curry recipes. You can increase its bioavailability by combining it with black pepper.
As a powerful antioxidant, turmeric helps fight oxidative damage that can lead to aging and diseases. Its anti-inflammatory benefits are widespread, and turmeric is recommended for treating inflammatory bowel diseases, cancer, heart disease, and arthritis. Other health benefits of turmeric include improving cognitive functions and protecting aging adults from cognitive decline.
- Ginger: The warm, spicy flavor of ginger, a rhizome that grows underground, is a staple in curries and many baked foods, smoothies, and soups. Ginger is also used in salad dressings, as tea, or sprinkled on oatmeal.
Many people associate ginger use with nausea, whether during pregnancy or as a sea or motion sickness cure. Ginger calms the intestinal lining to soothe the digestive system and upset stomach. It contains various bioactive compounds with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties and may help prevent cancer (more research is necessary). Other health benefits of ginger may include reducing osteoarthritis, weight, cholesterol, blood pressure, and blood sugar levels.
- Peppermint: This potent herb is often seen as a flavoring in candies, beverages, and toothpaste, but it is also helpful in topical preparations to help with muscle pain.
Peppermint’s health benefits include reducing abdominal bloating and nausea and helping relax the smooth muscles in the colon. It helps treat diarrhea, and research has shown its effect as a bronchodilator to widen air passages when inhaled.
- Sage: With its earthy taste, sage is a staple in stuffing recipes. It is also excellent in soups, roasted vegetables, and grain dishes.
Sage is a powerhouse of vitamins and minerals, including copper, magnesium, zinc, and vitamins A, C, E, and K. One health benefit of sage is its ability to kill bacteria and calm irritated throat tissues associated with colds. Adding sage to chicken soup, along with thyme (an expectorant), may speed the recovery time.
Other health benefits of sage are that it may help kill plaque when used as a mouthwash, lower blood sugar levels, and improve cognition. Emerging research suggests that sage may help improve cognitive functions and memory, including Alzheimer’s disease, and reduce depression. These benefits may be due to sage’s ability to inhibit the enzyme acetylcholinesterase (AChE) from breaking down acetylcholine (ACh), a neurotransmitter that is vital for cognitive functions.
Our brain functions, memory, and even hormonal levels can decline when we age. For instance, when HGH levels are imbalanced, we may suffer from impaired cognition, chronic fatigue, and even some mental diseases. Learn how to get a HGH prescription online quickly and easily.
- Garlic: Whether fresh or dried, garlic is a staple in kitchens worldwide. Garlic works well in sauces, dressing, marinades, pesto, and every cooking style.
The health benefits of garlic include protecting the heart from plaque buildup in the arteries that can lead to atherosclerosis and heart attack. Garlic helps boost the immune system, reduces high blood pressure, and may protect against dementia and cancer.
- Chili powder: Typically used in Mexican cooking and chili, chili powder provides a spicy kick that can enhance many meals.
The health benefits of chili powder are often due to its capsaicin, a phytochemical that helps with metabolic and heart health. People who include chili powder in their daily diets may lose more weight, especially abdominal fat. Chili powder may help reduce the risk of heart disease and cancer deaths. Its anti-inflammatory properties may help reduce joint and muscle inflammation.
- Oregano: A staple herb used in Italian and Mediterranean cooking, oregano is part of the mint family. It is widely used in pasta dishes, sprinkled on pizza, and to flavor sauces, salads, fish, and poultry.
Oregano oil has potent anti-fungal, anti-microbial, anti-inflammatory, anti-parasitic, and antibiotic properties that may include reducing inflammation, relieving pain, improving gut health, and serving as a natural antibiotic to protect against urinary and respiratory tract infections.
The plant compounds in oregano have been used in traditional medicine for bronchitis, cough, diarrhea, and indigestion. Oregano’s health benefits may also help decrease oxidative stress markers, improve insulin resistance, fight cancer, and strengthen the immune system.
- Parsley: A staple in many herb gardens, parsley’s slightly peppery taste goes well in many dishes.
Parsley’s health benefits are due to antioxidants that have anti-inflammatory and cell-protecting benefits that may help with heart disease and cognitive decline. Other benefits of parsley may include reducing allergies, strengthening the immune system, and improving blood pressure levels.
- Rosemary: The smell of fresh rosemary can improve alertness, and it is a staple in kitchens worldwide. Used in many cooking styles, rosemary is excellent in baked bread, sprinkled on lamb dishes, as tea, or in many other recipes.
The health benefits of rosemary are due to its antiviral, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and antibacterial properties. Rosemary may also help relieve pain and fight cancer. Studies have shown that it can help with fighting depression. Breathing in rosemary can help improve memory and other mental activities.
- Cardamom: Known as the “Queen of Spices,” cardamom belongs to the same plant family as ginger, which accounts for its slightly spicy flavor. Many parts of the plant are used in various recipes (especially Indian cooking), including baked goods (think pumpkin pie), curries, chai tea, and savory dishes.
Health benefits of cardamom may include improving liver health, lowering blood pressure and cholesterol levels, and improving blood sugar, thanks to the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties of cardamom’s phenolic compounds. Cardamom may also help soothe an upset stomach and reduce constipation and diarrhea.
- Saffron: A pinch goes a long way for this costly and prized spice. With its reddish-golden color packed with carotenoids and slightly bitter flavor, saffron is widely used in Mediterranean and Indian recipes, including risotto, seafood, and curry dishes.
The health benefits of saffron stem from powerful antioxidants that protect the brain cells from progressive damage and reduce inflammation throughout the body. Studies of saffron have shown that it may also provide benefits such as lowering blood sugar levels, improving memory, reducing heart disease risks, fighting cancer, reducing depression, and assisting with weight loss.
Conclusion
These are only some spices and herbs that can “spice” up your cooking while providing superior health benefits. It may also help to reduce a particular spice further to learn what cooking method is best for enhancing its properties. Stewing and simmering spices heighten their antioxidant levels.
You should also speak with your doctor if you want to use spices for a particular health issue, as they could interfere with other medications or treatments.
Whether fresh or dried, herbs and spices benefit your health and meals.
