Regularly Eating Herbs and Spices Provides Health Boost

November 16, 2002

.. Regularly Eating Herbs and Spices Provides Health Boost

UNITED STATES, Nov 11, 2002: Recent research shows that it's health-savvy to

sprinkle herbs and spices in your food all year long. "We now know they act

as potent antibiotics, blood thinners, anticancer agents,

anti-inflamatories, insulin regulators and antioxidants," says Harry G.

Preuss, Ph.D., physiologist at Georgetown University Medical Center and a

top researcher in the field. "In tiny doses, eaten regularly in food, common

herbs and spices are unique health boosters." (HPI adds: Indian Ayurvedic

physicians came to the same conclusion thousands of years ago.) For example,

researchers have found that ginger compounds (gingerols) reduce pain in

animals and act as Cox-2 inhibitors, similar to the anti-arthritis drug

Celebrex. Gingerols also thin the blood "just like aspirin," suggesting that

gingerols also fight heart disease. Research has proven that ginger is

anti-inflammatory and patients with osteoarthritis of the knee, who took 255

milligrams of ginger extract twice a day for six weeks, had less knee pain

than those not getting ginger. Another spice with health benefits is the

yellow spice turmeric, a constituent of curry powder, which contains high

concentrations of the potent antioxidant curcumin. New tests suggest

curcumin helps stifle cancer. Researchers speculate that curcumin blocks the

activation of genes that trigger cancer. In addition, curcumin's

anti-inflammatory activity reduces arthritic swelling and progressive brain

damage in animals. Cinnamon, another spice used commonly in Indian cooking,

helps control spikes of blood sugar. This is important as avoiding high

circulating levels of blood sugar and insulin may help ward off diabetes.

Research also indicates that onion, garlic, cumin, cloves and bay leaves are

strong antibiotics.

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