8 Delicious Herbs and Spices with Powerful Health Benefits
While we mostly use them today to improve our culinary experience, herbs and spices have been used throughout the centuries, mainly for their medicinal properties. They’re packed with nutrients that can boost your immune system, help you fight off countless diseases, and improve your overall health.
So, let’s take a look at a few herbs and spices that offer powerful health benefits and that you’ll want to include in your daily diet.
Ginger
Ginger has long been regarded as a superfood. It has been used in Eastern cultures as an essential natural medicine throughout history, and for a good reason.
It’s proven to be a potent treatment for nausea, pain, and has powerful anti-inflammatory properties that can help you put a variety of conditions under control.
A single gram of ginger in your daily diet can prevent and help deal with pregnancy-related or chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting.
Garlic
While it’s uncertain whether garlic can be an effective deterrent against vampires, it’s undoubtedly a good idea to include more of it into your diet if you want to improve your health.
A randomized, placebo-controlled study showed that garlic supplements could reduce the common cold and shorten the recovery period.
Other research suggests that garlic can help improve cardiovascular health by decreasing high blood pressure and reducing bad cholesterol.
Kratom
Kratom is an herb used as a traditional medicine in Africa and Southeast Asia for generations. Commonly brewed into a tea, it can boost the immune system and help to relieve pain and treat symptoms of conditions such as depression and anorexia, among other things.
Kratom’s known for its opioid properties, and it’s often used for recreational purposes as it can act as a stimulant. The good thing is you can also buy bulk kratom now.
Cinnamon
Cinnamon is present in countless recipes and is one of the world’s most beloved spices. It’s delicious, easy to add to any baked good, and brings excellent health benefits.
It can be useful to fight inflammation and lower cholesterol levels, but what makes this spice stand out is its ability to control blood sugar levels.
Research has shown that cinnamon can reduce fasting blood glucose levels by between 18% and 29% in patients with type 2 diabetes. So while cinnamon rolls are definitely not suitable for your blood sugar levels, cinnamon itself is.
Cannabis
Cannabis has been drawing a lot of attention recently because of the wide variety of health benefits that it brings. While renowned for its psychoactive compound THC, its most beneficial compound appears to be CBD.
CBD is not psychoactive and can help you treat conditions such as anxiety, depression, insomnia, chronic pain, inflammations, and more due to its anti-inflammatory, anxiolytic, analgesic, and other beneficial properties.
Cooking with cannabis is pretty easy, as it can be included in both sweet and savory dishes.
Cumin
Cumin is a common ingredient in Eastern cuisine, and you’ll find it in some of the most popular Indian recipes. Its earthy taste is easy to recognize, but it’s not just flavor that it adds to your dishes.
Studies have concluded that cumin can be an excellent seed to add to your meals if you need aid with digestion. It’s useful in treating irritable bowel syndrome symptoms, helping to relieve abdominal pain and bloating.
Turmeric
If you enjoy Indian cuisine, you’re likely very familiar with turmeric – a spice used in the curry to give it that recognizable bright yellow color.
It contains powerful antioxidants and anti-inflammatory agents and can be a very effective treatment for a wide variety of conditions and diseases.
It’s the most promising as a treatment for Alzheimer’s disease. Turmeric has been shown to boost brain function and improve memory in patients with Alzheimer’s, mainly because of its active compound curcumin.
Sage
Speaking of herbs and spices that can boost cognitive processes, we need to mention sage. Sage was used since medieval times for its healing properties and is proven to do more than just cleanse the negative energy from your home.
Studies have shown that sage can boost cognitive skills such as memory, attention, and learning, although more research is required to provide conclusive answers.
The Bottom Line
If you need a health boost, consider adding the herbs mentioned above and spices into your diet. They’ll improve the flavor of every dish you make, and provide you with the essential nutrients that can enhance your immune system, improve your cognitive processes, and prevent a variety of different conditions and diseases.