8 of the Worlds Healthiest Spices & Herbs You Should Be Eating

By Kerri-Ann Jennings, M.S., R.D., Associate Nutrition Editor at EatingWell Magazine As a registered dietitian and associate nutrition editor at EatingWell Magazine, I no! t"at"er#s and s$ices do %ore t"an si%$ly add &la'or to &ood. ("ey let you cut do!n on so%e less-"ealt"y ingredients, suc" as salt, added sugars and saturated &at, and so%e "a'e in"erent "ealt" #ene&its, %any o& !"ic" Joyce )endley re$orted on &or EatingWell Magazine. Modern science is #eginning to unco'er t"e ulti%ate $o!er o& s$ices and "er#s, as !ea$ons against illnesses &ro% cancer to Alz"ei%er*s disease. +We*re no! starting to see a scienti&ic #asis &or !"y $eo$le "a'e #een using s$ices %edicinally &or t"ousands o& years,+ says B"arat Aggar!al, ,".D., $ro&essor at t"e -ni'ersity o& (e.as M.D. Anderson /ancer /enter in )ouston and aut"or o& Healing Spices 0Sterling, 12334. Aggar!al notes t"at in "is nati'e India, !"ere s$ices tend to #e used #y t"e "and&ul, incidence o& diet-related diseases li e "eart disease and cancer "a'e long #een lo!. But !"en Indians %o'e a!ay and ado$t %ore Westernized eating $atterns, t"eir rates o& t"ose diseases rise. W"ile researc"ers usually #la%e t"e %eatier, &attier nature o& Western diets, Aggar!al and ot"er e.$erts #elie'e t"at "er#s and s$ices-or %ore $recisely, t"e lac o& t"e%-are also an i%$ortant $iece o& t"e dietary $uzzle. +W"en Indians eat %ore Westernized &oods, t"ey*re

getting %uc" &e!er s$ices t"an t"eir traditional diet contains,+ "e e.$lains. +("ey lose t"e $rotection t"ose s$ices are con'eying.+ W"ile science "as yet to s"o! t"at any s$ice cures disease, t"ere*s co%$elling e'idence t"at se'eral %ay "el$ %anage so%e c"ronic conditions 0t"oug" it*s al!ays s%art to tal !it" your doctor4. W"at*s not to lo'e5 )ere !e*'e gat"ered eig"t o& t"e "ealt"iest s$ices and "er#s en6oyed around t"e !orld. Chile Peppers May help: Boost metabolism. /"ile $e$$ers add a %uc"-a$$reciated "eat to c"illy-!eat"er dis"es, and t"ey can also gi'e a #oost to your %eta#olis%. ("an ca$saicin, t"e co%$ound t"at gi'es &res" c"iles, and s$ices including cayenne and c"i$otle, t"eir ic . Studies s"o! t"at ca$saicin can increase t"e #ody*s %eta#olic rate 0causing one to #urn %ore calories4 and %ay sti%ulate #rain c"e%icals t"at "el$ us &eel less "ungry. In &act, one study &ound t"at $eo$le ate 37 $ercent &e!er calories at a %eal i& t"ey*d si$$ed a "ot-$e$$er-s$i ed to%ato 6uice 0's. $lain to%ato 6uice4 "al& an "our earlier. Recent researc" &ound t"at ca$sinoids, si%ilar #ut gentler c"e%icals &ound in %ilder c"ile "y#rids, "a'e t"e sa%e e&&ects-so e'en ta%er s!eet $a$ri a $ac s a "ealt"y $unc". /a$saicin %ay also lo!er ris o& ulcers #y #oosting t"e a#ility o& sto%ac" cells to resist in&ection #y ulcer-causing #acteria and "el$ t"e "eart #y ee$ing +#ad+ 8D8 c"olesterol &ro% turning into a %ore let"al, artery-clogging &or%. Don*t Miss9 :oods ("at Blast Belly :at Ginger May help: Soothe an upset stomach, fight arthritis pain. ;inger "as a !ell-deser'ed re$utation &or relie'ing an unsettled sto%ac". Studies s"o! ginger e.tracts can "el$ reduce nausea caused #y %orning sic ness or &ollo!ing surgery or c"e%ot"era$y, t"oug" it*s less e&&ecti'e &or %otion sic ness. But ginger is also $ac ed !it" in&la%%ation-&ig"ting co%$ounds, suc" as gingerols, !"ic" so%e e.$erts #elie'e %ay "old $ro%ise in &ig"ting so%e cancers and %ay reduce t"e ac"es o& osteoart"ritis and soot"e sore %uscles. In a recent study, $eo$le !"o too ginger ca$sules daily &or 33 days re$orted 1< $ercent less %uscle $ain !"en t"ey $er&or%ed e.ercises designed to strain t"eir %uscles 0co%$ared !it" a si%ilar grou$ ta ing $lace#o ca$sules4. Anot"er study &ound t"at gingere.tract in6ections "el$ed relie'e osteoart"ritis $ain o& t"e nee. Must-Read9 < :oods ("at :ig"t ,ain Naturally

Cinnamon May help: Stabilize blood sugar. A &e! studies suggest t"at adding cinna%on to &ood-u$ to a teas$oon a day, usually gi'en in ca$sule &or%-%ig"t "el$ $eo$le !it" ty$e 1 dia#etes #etter control t"eir #lood sugar, #y lo!ering $ost-%eal #lood-sugar s$i es. =t"er studies suggest t"e e&&ects are li%ited at #est. Turmeric May help: uell inflammation, inhibit tumors.

(ur%eric, t"e goldenrod-colored s$ice, is used in India to "el$ !ounds "eal 0it*s a$$lied as a $aste4> it*s also %ade into a tea to relie'e colds and res$iratory $ro#le%s. Modern %edicine con&ir%s so%e solid-gold "ealt" #ene&its as !ell> %ost are associated !it" curcu%in, a co%$ound in tur%eric t"at "as $otent antio.idant and anti-in&la%%atory $ro$erties. /urcu%in "as #een s"o!n to "el$ relie'e $ain o& art"ritis, in6uries and dental $rocedures> it*s also #eing studied &or its $otential in %anaging "eart disease, dia#etes and Alz"ei%er*s disease. Researc"er B"arat Aggar!al is #ullis" on curcu%in*s $otential as a cancer treat%ent, $articularly in colon, $rostate and #reast cancers> $reli%inary studies "a'e &ound t"at curcu%in can in"i#it tu%or cell gro!t" and su$$ress enzy%es t"at acti'ate carcinogens. Saffron May help: !ift your mood. Sa&&ron "as long #een used in traditional ,ersian %edicine as a %ood li&ter, usually stee$ed into a %edicinal tea or used to $re$are rice. Researc" &ro% Iran*s Rooz#e" ,syc"iatric )os$ital at (e"ran -ni'ersity o& Medical Sciences "as &ound t"at sa&&ron %ay "el$ to relie'e sy%$to%s o& $re%enstrual syndro%e 0,MS4 and de$ression. In one study, ?<@ o& !o%en !it" ,MS !"o !ere gi'en sa&&ron ca$sules daily re$orted t"at t"eir ,MS sy%$to%s 0suc" as %ood s!ings and de$ression4 declined #y at least "al&, co%$ared !it" only A $ercent o& !o%en !"o didn*t ta e sa&&ron. Must-Read9 B :oods to Boost Cour Mood Parsley May help: "nhibit breast cancer#cell gro$th. -ni'ersity o& Missouri scientists &ound t"at t"is "er# can actually in"i#it #reast cancer-cell gro!t", re$orted )olly ,e'zner in t"e Se$te%#erD=cto#er 1233 issue o& EatingWell Magazine. In t"e study, ani%als t"at !ere gi'en a$igenin, a co%$ound a#undant in $arsley

0and in celery4, #oosted t"eir resistance to de'elo$ing cancerous tu%ors. E.$erts reco%%end adding a cou$le $inc"es o& %inced &res" $arsley to your dis"es daily. Sage May help: Preser%e memory, soothe sore throats. )er#alists reco%%end si$$ing sage tea &or u$set sto%ac"s and sore t"roats, a re%edy su$$orted #y one study t"at &ound s$raying sore t"roats !it" a sage solution ga'e e&&ecti'e $ain relie&. And $reli%inary researc" suggests t"e "er# %ay i%$ro'e so%e sy%$to%s o& early Alz"ei%er*s disease #y $re'enting a ey enzy%e &ro% destroying acetylc"oline, a #rain c"e%ical in'ol'ed in %e%ory and learning. In anot"er study, college students !"o too sage e.tracts in ca$sule &or% $er&or%ed signi&icantly #etter on %e%ory tests, and t"eir %oods i%$ro'ed. Related9 < :oods to )el$ Ward =&& /olds &osemary May help: 'nhance mental focus, fight foodborne bacteria. =ne recent study &ound t"at $eo$le $er&or%ed #etter on %e%ory and alertness tests !"en %ists o& aro%atic rose%ary oil !ere $i$ed into t"eir study cu#icles. Rose%ary is o&ten used in %arinades &or %eats and $oultry, and t"ere*s scienti&ic !isdo% #e"ind t"at tradition9 ros%arinic acid and ot"er antio.idant co%$ounds in t"e "er# &ig"t #acteria and $re'ent %eat &ro% s$oiling, and %ay e'en %a e coo ed %eats "ealt"ier. In Marc" 1232, Kansas State -ni'ersity researc"ers re$orted t"at adding rose%ary e.tracts to ground #ee& "el$ed $re'ent t"e &or%ation o& "eterocyclic a%ines 0)/As4-cancer-causing co%$ounds $roduced !"en %eats are grilled, #roiled or &ried.