Spice health benefit, antioxidant Information by Ray Sahelian, M.D.
Definition of Spice : A pungent, aromatic plant substance, such as cinnamon, cloves, mustard or nutmeg, used to flavor foods or beverages. Spices can come from almost any part of a plant including seeds, leaves, barks, rhizomes, latex, stigmas, floral buds and modified stems.
Spices are the common dietary
ingredients that
contribute to the taste and flavor of foods. Besides, spices are also
known to exert several beneficial effects. Because of these beneficial
effects, and due to increased research on the health benefits of spices,
some of them are now available in supplement form. See below a discussion
of each spice, and there are links provided if you wish to purchase any of
them.
In traditional medical systems,
the ability of spices to heal various physical, mental and emotional
problems has widely been reported. A growing body of research has
demonstrated that the commonly used herbs and spices such as garlic, black
cumin, cloves, cinnamon, ginger, thyme, allspices, bay leaves, mustard, and
rosemary, possess antimicrobial properties that, in some cases, can be
used therapeutically. Other spices, such as saffron, a food colorant;
turmeric, a yellow colored spice; tea, either green or black, ginger, and flaxseed
do contain potent plant substances, including carotenoids, curcumins,
catechins, lignan respectively, which provide significant protection
against several chronic health conditions including cardiovascular
conditions and tumor prevention.
A list of spices. With time I will add more and discuss them in more detail.
Allspice
Pimenta dioica herb -
Common Names of
Pimenta dioica
include allspice, pimento, and Jamaica pepper.
Alum
Alum powder is used in pickling recipes and as a preservative to
maintain fruit and vegetable crispness. Alum is the hydrated aluminum
potassium sulfate.
Anise Seed
Asafetida
Basil spice
See
basil
herb for more information on health benefits.
Bay leaf
Bishop's weed
Caraway Seed
Cardomom spice health benefit
Cardamom spice
information
Cassia
Cayenne spice
You can buy
Cayenne supplement
here. For more
cayenne pepper
information.
Celery Seed
Chilli Powder or
chilli pepper
Cinnamon Sticks - Cinnamon spice
Cinnamon comes from the inner
bark of the shoots of a tree (Cinnamomum Zeylanicum) that grows
predominantly in India, China, and Ceylon.
Add spices like cinnamon and nutmeg to sweet snacks instead of
sugar.
See
Cinnamon
to purchase.
Cloves spice
Cloves are an important ingredient in the spice blends of North India.
Coriander
Cumin Seed
Curcumin spice
Curcumin is
an extract of turmeric found in curry.
See
Curcumin
to purchase.
Curry Powder
Dill Seed
Fennel Seed and plant
All parts of the fennel
plant can be used for medicinal and cooking purposes. Fennel
supplements are available for
sale.
Fenugreek -
See
Fenugreek
to purchase.
Garlic spice
Use fresh garlic. Fresh garlic may lower blood pressure and cholesterol,
however it is not clear whether garlic in capsule form has as good health
benefits as fresh garlic. However, some prefer to use a garlic supplement.
See
Garlic
to purchase.
Ginger -
See
Ginger
to purchase.
Mace
Mustard spice
Mustard is one of the first spices known to
humans. Mustard is a common spice used in the United States. All parts of
the mustard plant are edible, including seeds, leaves, and flowers.
Mustard works well with all types of meats, pork, poultry, and seafood.
Nutmeg spice
Onion
Paprika
Pepper spice
Pepper - Capsaicin, which makes chili peppers hot, fed to
mice causes apoptosis death in pancreatic cancer cells. The spicy compound
kills pancreatic tumor cells but does not affect normal, healthy pancreas
cells. Researchers in Los Angeles report that capsaicin kills prostate
tumor cells. Other studies have shown that turmeric, a yellow spice used
widely in Indian cooking, may help stop the spread of lung cancer and
breast cancer in mice. Black pepper is a spice which has the compound
piperine in the
form of a patented extract called
Bioperine.
See
Bioperine
to purchase.
Rosemary spice
Rosemary is an antioxidant that is thought to provide for brain health.
Saffron spice
Saffron spice may
influence serotonin
levels and could be beneficial to women with PMS symptoms.
Crocus
sativus is the botanical name for saffron spice.
Tamarind
Thyme -
See
Thyme
to purchase.
Turmeric spice -
See
Turmeric
to purchase.
Antioxidant benefits
High blood sugar levels, as they occur in those with diabetes, can
lead to the formation of harmful substances known as AGE compounds.
These compounds, in turn, cause inflammation and tissue damage,
which can contribute to the clogged arteries and heart disease
commonly associated with diabetes. Extracts of various herbs and
spices -- such as cinnamon, cloves, sage and rosemary -- block the chemical process that creates AGE compounds. When blood
sugar levels are high, a process known as protein glycation occurs
in which the sugar attaches to proteins to form what are known as
advanced glycation end products. These
compounds cause inflammation
and tissue damage associated with aging and diabetes. The anti-AGE
benefits of herbs and spices seem to come from plant antioxidants
called phenols. Cinnamon, sage, marjoram, tarragon rosemary, cloves
and ground Jamaican allspice appear to be the most potent. Herbs and
spices are the most concentrated sources of antioxidants in the
diet. Spices such as cloves and cinnamon have phenol levels that were
30 percent and 18 percent of dry weight, respectively, while herbs
such as oregano and sage were eight and six percent phenol by dry
weight, respectively. For comparison, blueberries – which are widely
touted for their antioxidant capabilities – contain roughly five
percent phenol by dry weight. Cinnamon has 50 to 100 times more
antioxidant power per unit weight than fresh berries. Journal of
Medicinal Food, June 2008.
Spices for Diabetes or blood sugar control
Among the spices, fenugreek seeds (Trigonella foenumgraecum),
garlic (Allium sativum), onion (Allium cepa), and turmeric (Curcuma longa)
have been experimentally documented to possess antidiabetic potential. In
a limited number of studies, cumin seeds (Cuminum cyminum), ginger (Zingiber
officinale), mustard (Brassica nigra), curry leaves (Murraya koenigii) and
coriander (Coriandrum sativum) have been reported to be hypoglycaemic.
People with diabetes should consider increasing their intake of
various spices. In test-tube experiments, extracts of various herbs and
spices -- such as cinnamon, cloves, sage and rosemary -- inhibit a
damaging process that can result from high blood sugar levels. When blood
sugar is high, as is chronically the case in diabetes, it can lead to the
formation of substances known as AGE compounds. These compounds cause
inflammation and tissue damage which can contribute to the clogged
arteries and heart disease commonly associated with diabetes. Certain
herbs and spices appear to block the chemical process that creates AGE
compounds.
Phenolics in Spices
Spices are known to significantly contribute to the flavor, taste,
and medicinal properties of food because of
phenolics. Most
spices contain phenolic acids such as tannic, gallic, caffeic, cinnamic,
chlorogenic, ferulic and vanillic acids. A high amount of tannic and
gallic acids are found in black mustard and clove. Caffeic, chlorogenic
and ferulic acids are found in a good amount in cumin. Vanillic and
cinnamic acids are found in onion seeds.
Spices and Cancer
Ginger spice can kill ovarian cancer cells while the compound that
makes peppers hot can shrink pancreatic tumors. The study on ginger was
done using cells in a lab dish, which is a long way from finding that it
works in actual cancer patients. Researchers tested ginger powder
dissolved in solution by putting it on ovarian cancer cell cultures.
Ginger killed the ovarian cancer cells in two different ways -- through a
self-destruction process called apoptosis and through autophagy in which
cells digest themselves. Ginger spice has been shown to help control
inflammation, which can contribute to the development of ovarian cancer
cells. In multiple ovarian cancer cell lines, ginger induced cell death at
a similar or better rate than the platinum-based chemotherapy drugs
typically used to treat ovarian cancer.
Spices improve health
Adding spices such as basil, oregano, garlic, turmeric, and rosemary to
your diet may reduce the risk for chronic health problems. Many Americans
can substitute traditional seasonings like sugar, salt and fat with herbs
and spices.
Spice emails
Q. Do you think it might be harmful to take many spices at the same time?
For instance: ginger, basil, rosemary, garlic and saffron.
A. One can consume many spices during the same day as long as the
amounts are reasonable.
Q. Is it true that eating certain spices in the
evening can disrupt sleep?
A. Yes. Certain spices elevate body temperature and cause
alertness. The body likes to be cool at night for optimal sleep.
Therefore, eat most of your spicy foods at breakfast or lunch so that the
body temperature elevation is reduced by bedtime.