Spice 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
Alum
Anise Seed
Asafetida
Basil - See Basil to purchase.
Bay leaf
Bishop's weed
Caraway Seed
Cardamom
Cassia
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
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.

Tamarind

Thyme - See Thyme to purchase.
Turmeric spice - See Turmeric to purchase.
 
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.

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.