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.