Eat More Herbs and Spices- Daily Health Quest #1
I became very interested in using herbs for their health benefits simply because I was unhappy with my long recovery time and was looking for a quicker way to heal after my car accident.
I read several books on healing with herbs and tried out many tinctures and other concoctions, and I felt like I learned a lot about them and the herbs helped me.
The main aspect I want to highlight today is the benefit of using more herbs and spices in your cooking.
I might write a blog post in the future about healing specific ailments with herbs, but for today, I just want to highlight the many benefits that can come from cooking with them.
Cooking with herbs is such an easy way to take in some of the health benefits of herbs and spices, and they really make the food taste better and more flavorful.
Health Benefits of Using Herbs and Spices
Everyone knows that herbs and spices are a great way to add flavor to your food without adding additional calories, but did you know that they also have many health benefits?
Here is more information about my favorite herbs to cook with, including their health qualities, history, a link to purchase it on Amazon, and recipes to use them.
Coriander/Cilantro
What is Coriander
Coriander is the seed from the pink and mauve flowers of a delicate plant that resembles parsley. Coriander seeds are used extensively in sweet and savory dishes in cuisines around the world-- in Europe, India, Latin America, Mexico, North Africa, and the Middle East.
It's almost impossible to use too much coriander. In fact, coriander can fix a lot of errors in cooking. If you've gone too heavy on a particular spice in a dish, add the same amount of ground coriander, which should correct the flavor.
Cilantro is too delicate to withstand heat. Sprinkle it on a finished dish or add it during the last few minutes of cooking.
Healing Qualities of Coriander
- Coriander is a classic remedy for tummy troubles.
- It has been documented in the Journal of Environmental Biology to be a treatment for cholesterol and has been shown to decrease "bad" LDSL, and increase "good" HDL.
- It eases constipation. A study in Pennsylvania showed that those drinking a coriander containing laxative tea had more bowel movements.
- It is a traditional remedy for "indigestion, diabetes, rheumatism, and pain in the joints" noted by a team of researchers in Phytotherapy Research.
Healthy recipes that use Coriander/Cilantro
Garlic
What is Garlic
Garlic flavors virtually every cuisine in the world-- and it's the signature spice in the cuisines of Mexico, India, Asia, Greece, and Italy.
Garlic is extremely versatile and goes with just about anything savory.
Ninety percent of the garlic sold in the United States is softneck white, and comes from California. Its taste is strong and pungent. All garlic, however, mellows when cooked, turning mild to slightly sweet.
For the best flavor, buy or grow fresh bulbs. You can also purchase fresh garlic in a jar preserved in liquid, crushed, sliced, minced, chopped, or in a tube. Dried garlic comes powdered, granulated, flaked, ground, minced, or chopped.
Garlic is in taco seasoning, so most Mexican dishes contain garlic.
Healing Qualities
Researchers have concluded that "The accumulated knowledge over the last few years suggests that intake of garlic by humans may either prevent or decrease the incidence of major chronic diseases associate with old age, such as atherosclerosis, stroke, cancer, immune disorders, cerebral (brain) aging, arthritis, and cataract formation."
- Garlic lowers blood pressure. "Garlic preparations are superior to placebo in reducing blood pressure in individuals with hypertension," the researchers concluded in BMC Cardiovascular Disorders.
- Lowers the risk of heart attack. Russian researchers gave either a garlic supplement or a placebo to 51 people with heart disease. A year later, they calculated the supplement had reduced the risk of a heart attack by an average of 40 percent.
- Colon cancer is no match for garlic. There are more than 600 scientific studies on the power of garlic to prevent and treat cancer.
- Garlic can fight infection. It was widely used in World War I to help prevent gangrene and blood poisoning. Recently, Finnish researchers studdied 52 airplane travelers, giving half a garlic-containing nasal spray and half a placebo. Those taking the placebo had nearly three times m.
Recipes that use Garlic
Chili Pepper (Cayenne)
All chilies have healing properties, but the hotter the chili the ore therapeutic it is. Two of the many awesome effects of chilies are it's a pain killer, and can help you burn more calories.
Capsaicin is a proven pain killer. Capsaicin creams, which are approved by the FDA, can have a dramatic and long-lasting anesthetic effect on a variety of painful conditions. Additionally, several studies show that eating chilis increases the rate at which you burn calories. The effect can last for 20 minutes to six hours. As if that wasn't reason enough to eat more chilies, dozens of studies have found that capsaicin causes death to tumor cells in test animals and human cell cultures.
Thai soup, taco meat
Cumin
In a study, scientists found cumin to work as well as glibenclamide (Diabeta) to reduce levels of cholesterol and triglycerides heart-damaging blood fats in animals. the animals also had a "significant reduction" in blood sugar, lowered levels of A1C and lower levels of damaging fat and inflammation in the cells of the pancreas. Additionally, it may help prevent and/or treat cancer.
Taco meat
Onion
Onions are rich in quercetin, a powerful antioxidant that has been shown to slow the growth of cancer cells, stow the growth of cancer cells, stop cancer cells from migrating to other parts of the body, and force cancer cells to die in a variety of ways, such as cutting off their blood supply or activating cancer-killing genes. Additionally, the "Journal of Medicinal Food" showed that onions lower blood sugar.
fish with corn salsa, all soups
Black Pepper
Researchers in Thailand tested piperine in animals with Alzheimer's-like brain changes and found the extract "Significantly improved memory impairment and neurodegeration {the destruction of brain cells]." Additionally, the "Journal of Cardiovascular Pharmacology" showed that piperine lowered blood pressure in laboratory animals. Piperine is an alkaloid found in black pepper.
Taco meat,
Basil
Buy on Amazon
Healing Qualities
Coriander is one of the world's oldest spices, and is a classic remedy for tummy troubles. Additionally, it has been documented in the Journal of Environmental Biology to be a treatment for cholesterol and has been shown to decrease "bad" LDSL, and increase "good" HDL.
History
Good Coriander/Cilantro Flavor Combinations
Recipes that use Coriander/Cilantro
Garlic is one of the world's most potent natural medicines. The medical database of the National Institute of Health contains more than 3,200 studies on the therapeutic power of garlic. Many of those studies are about preventing, sower, and reversing cardiovascular disease-- the heart attacks and strokes that kill more Americans than any other health problem.
Rosemary
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Healing Qualities
Coriander is one of the world's oldest spices, and is a classic remedy for tummy troubles. Additionally, it has been documented in the Journal of Environmental Biology to be a treatment for cholesterol and has been shown to decrease "bad" LDSL, and increase "good" HDL.
History
Good Coriander/Cilantro Flavor Combinations
Recipes that use Coriander/Cilantro
Garlic is one of the world's most potent natural medicines. The medical database of the National Institute of Health contains more than 3,200 studies on the therapeutic power of garlic. Many of those studies are about preventing, sower, and reversing cardiovascular disease-- the heart attacks and strokes that kill more Americans than any other health problem.
Mint
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Healing Qualities
Coriander is one of the world's oldest spices, and is a classic remedy for tummy troubles. Additionally, it has been documented in the Journal of Environmental Biology to be a treatment for cholesterol and has been shown to decrease "bad" LDSL, and increase "good" HDL.
History
Good Coriander/Cilantro Flavor Combinations
Recipes that use Coriander/Cilantro
Garlic is one of the world's most potent natural medicines. The medical database of the National Institute of Health contains more than 3,200 studies on the therapeutic power of garlic. Many of those studies are about preventing, sower, and reversing cardiovascular disease-- the heart attacks and strokes that kill more Americans than any other health problem.
Oregano
Buy on Amazon
Healing Qualities
Coriander is one of the world's oldest spices, and is a classic remedy for tummy troubles. Additionally, it has been documented in the Journal of Environmental Biology to be a treatment for cholesterol and has been shown to decrease "bad" LDSL, and increase "good" HDL.
History
Good Coriander/Cilantro Flavor Combinations
Recipes that use Coriander/Cilantro
Garlic is one of the world's most potent natural medicines. The medical database of the National Institute of Health contains more than 3,200 studies on the therapeutic power of garlic. Many of those studies are about preventing, sower, and reversing cardiovascular disease-- the heart attacks and strokes that kill more Americans than any other health problem.
Cinnamon
Buy on Amazon
Healing Qualities
Coriander is one of the world's oldest spices, and is a classic remedy for tummy troubles. Additionally, it has been documented in the Journal of Environmental Biology to be a treatment for cholesterol and has been shown to decrease "bad" LDSL, and increase "good" HDL.
History
Good Coriander/Cilantro Flavor Combinations
Recipes that use Coriander/Cilantro
Garlic is one of the world's most potent natural medicines. The medical database of the National Institute of Health contains more than 3,200 studies on the therapeutic power of garlic. Many of those studies are about preventing, sower, and reversing cardiovascular disease-- the heart attacks and strokes that kill more Americans than any other health problem.
Dill
Buy on Amazon
Healing Qualities
Coriander is one of the world's oldest spices, and is a classic remedy for tummy troubles. Additionally, it has been documented in the Journal of Environmental Biology to be a treatment for cholesterol and has been shown to decrease "bad" LDSL, and increase "good" HDL.
History
Good Coriander/Cilantro Flavor Combinations
Recipes that use Coriander/Cilantro
Garlic is one of the world's most potent natural medicines. The medical database of the National Institute of Health contains more than 3,200 studies on the therapeutic power of garlic. Many of those studies are about preventing, sower, and reversing cardiovascular disease-- the heart attacks and strokes that kill more Americans than any other health problem.
Learn More about the Healing Power of Herbs and Spices
For expert level learning about how to incorporate healing spices and herbs into your cooking, I recommend the book "Healing Spices" by Bharat B. Aggarwal, PhD. I've enjoyed it as a reference book dozens of times over the last few years. Get it on Amazon here.
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