Herbs and spices have been used for their medicinal purposes for centuries.
Herbs and spices don’t just add flavor to your food, they also boost your food’s nutritional value and healing potential.
This holiday season, add the below herbs and spices to your food to help boost your body’s immune system AND make your food irresistibly delicious!
Ginger
Ginger has been used as medicine for centuries. It’s been used to help with digestive health in Indian and Asian medicine.
Ginger also contains powerful anti-inflammatory properties and has been shown to reduce pain in those with arthritis. Studies also show that it may help to block migraines.
This is one powerful root. A little goes a long way when adding it to your recipes, like desserts, smoothies, soups, and curries.
Garlic
Garlic has been praised for its health benefits and has been widely used throughout history.
Eating more garlic may give you dragon breath - but it has also been shown to reduce your risk of cancer.
Garlic has also been found to reduce blood pressure and total cholesterol.
It has powerful immune boosting effects and according to one study, eating more garlic can significantly reduce the length of a cold and help reduce the number of days you’re sick with a cold or flu in a year.
It’s also been scientifically proven to improve most foods - trust us, it’s science.
Turmeric
Turmeric has long been used in Indian medicine as a digestive aid. Recent studies have been exploring turmeric as a potentially powerful cancer fighter, particularly for colon cancer. Curcumin, the active ingredient and the chemical that gives turmeric its yellow color is considered a potential anticancer agent.
Turmeric has also been shown to reduce inflammation. It’s been helpful in several conditions, including psoriasis and rheumatoid arthritis.
Combine turmeric with black pepper and a source of fat, like ghee or avocado for maximum absorption of curcumin.
Elderberry
The holiday season is also flu season - which is why adding elderberry into your diet this time of year can be so helpful! Elderberry extract has been found to reduce the length and severity of symptoms caused by the flu.
Elderberries are high in antioxidants. Studies have also shown elderberries to be helpful in heart health. Benefits such as reducing cholesterol, uric acid and blood sugar levels have all been shown.
Cinnamon
Cinnamon is a potent antioxidant. It helps to fight inflammation, has antibacterial properties, and has been shown to lower cholesterol and triglycerides in the blood.
Cinnamon’s superpower however is its ability to lower blood sugar levels. It also has a powerful anti-diabetic effect.
Cinnamon can lower blood sugar several ways, including slowing down the breakdown of carbs in the digestive tract and improving insulin sensitivity.
Research has shown that cinnamon can lower fasting blood sugars by 10-29% in diabetic patients, which is significant.