World’s Healthiest Spices & Herbs You Should Be Eating

By Kerri-Ann Jennings, M.S., R.D., Associate Nutrition Editor at EatingWell Magazine
By Kerri-Ann Jennings, M.S., R.D., Associate Nutrition Editor at EatingWell Magazine

As a registered dietitian and associate nutrition editor at EatingWell Magazine, I know that herbs and spices do more than simply add flavor to food. They let you cut down on some less-healthy ingredients, such as salt, added sugars and saturated fat, and some have inherent health benefits, many of which Joyce Hendley reported on for EatingWell Magazine.

Modern science is beginning to uncover the ultimate power of spices and herbs, as weapons against illnesses from cancer to Alzheimer's disease. "We're now starting to see a scientific basis for why people have been using spices medicinally for thousands of years," says Bharat Aggarwal, Ph.D., professor at the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston and author of Healing Spices (Sterling, 2011).

Aggarwal notes that in his native India, where spices tend to be used by the handful, incidence of diet-related diseases like heart disease and cancer have long been low. But when Indians move away and adopt more Westernized eating patterns, their rates of those diseases rise. While researchers usually blame the meatier, fattier nature of Western diets, Aggarwal and other experts believe that herbs and spices-or more precisely, the lack of them-are also an important piece of the dietary puzzle. "When Indians eat more Westernized foods, they're getting much fewer spices than their traditional diet contains," he explains. "They lose the protection those spices are conveying."

While science has yet to show that any spice cures disease, there's compelling evidence that several may help manage some chronic conditions (though it's always smart to talk with your doctor). What's not to love? Here we've gathered eight of the healthiest spices and herbs enjoyed around the world.

Chile Peppers
May help: Boost metabolism.
Chile peppers add a much-appreciated heat to chilly-weather dishes, and they can also give a boost to your metabolism. Thank capsaicin, the compound that gives fresh chiles, and spices including cayenne and chipotle, their kick. Studies show that capsaicin can increase the body's metabolic rate (causing one to burn more calories) and may stimulate brain chemicals that help us feel less hungry. In fact, one study found that people ate 16 percent fewer calories at a meal if they'd sipped a hot-pepper-spiked tomato juice (vs. plain tomato juice) half an hour earlier. Recent research found that capsinoids, similar but gentler chemicals found in milder chile hybrids, have the same effects-so even tamer sweet paprika packs a healthy punch. Capsaicin may also lower risk of ulcers by boosting the ability of stomach cells to resist infection by ulcer-causing bacteria and help the heart by keeping "bad" LDL cholesterol from turning into a more lethal, artery-clogging form.
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Ginger
May help: Soothe an upset stomach, fight arthritis pain.
Ginger has a well-deserved reputation for relieving an unsettled stomach. Studies show ginger extracts can help reduce nausea caused by morning sickness or following surgery or chemotherapy, though it's less effective for motion sickness. But ginger is also packed with inflammation-fighting compounds, such as gingerols, which some experts believe may hold promise in fighting some cancers and may reduce the aches of osteoarthritis and soothe sore muscles. In a recent study, people who took ginger capsules daily for 11 days reported 25 percent less muscle pain when they performed exercises designed to strain their muscles (compared with a similar group taking placebo capsules). Another study found that ginger-extract injections helped relieve osteoarthritis pain of the knee.
Must-Read: 5 Foods That Fight Pain Naturally

Cinnamon
May help: Stabilize blood sugar.
A few studies suggest that adding cinnamon to food-up to a teaspoon a day, usually given in capsule form-might help people with type 2 diabetes better control their blood sugar, by lowering post-meal blood-sugar spikes. Other studies suggest the effects are limited at best.

Turmeric
May help: Quell inflammation, inhibit tumors.
Turmeric, the goldenrod-colored spice, is used in India to help wounds heal (it's applied as a paste); it's also made into a tea to relieve colds and respiratory problems. Modern medicine confirms some solid-gold health benefits as well; most are associated with curcumin, a compound in turmeric that has potent antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. Curcumin has been shown to help relieve pain of arthritis, injuries and dental procedures; it's also being studied for its potential in managing heart disease, diabetes and Alzheimer's disease. Researcher Bharat Aggarwal is bullish on curcumin's potential as a cancer treatment, particularly in colon, prostate and breast cancers; preliminary studies have found that curcumin can inhibit tumor cell growth and suppress enzymes that activate carcinogens.

Saffron
May help: Lift your mood.
Saffron has long been used in traditional Persian medicine as a mood lifter, usually steeped into a medicinal tea or used to prepare rice. Research from Iran's Roozbeh Psychiatric Hospital at Tehran University of Medical Sciences has found that saffron may help to relieve symptoms of premenstrual syndrome (PMS) and depression. In one study, 75% of women with PMS who were given saffron capsules daily reported that their PMS symptoms (such as mood swings and depression) declined by at least half, compared with only 8 percent of women who didn't take saffron.
Must-Read: 4 Foods to Boost Your Mood

Parsley
May help: Inhibit breast cancer-cell growth.
University of Missouri scientists found that this herb can actually inhibit breast cancer-cell growth, reported Holly Pevzner in the September/October 2011 issue of EatingWell Magazine. In the study, animals that were given apigenin, a compound abundant in parsley (and in celery), boosted their resistance to developing cancerous tumors. Experts recommend adding a couple pinches of minced fresh parsley to your dishes daily.

Sage
May help: Preserve memory, soothe sore throats.
Herbalists recommend sipping sage tea for upset stomachs and sore throats, a remedy supported by one study that found spraying sore throats with a sage solution gave effective pain relief. And preliminary research suggests the herb may improve some symptoms of early Alzheimer's disease by preventing a key enzyme from destroying acetylcholine, a brain chemical involved in memory and learning. In another study, college students who took sage extracts in capsule form performed significantly better on memory tests, and their moods improved.
Related: 5 Foods to Help Ward Off Colds

Rosemary
May help: Enhance mental focus, fight foodborne bacteria.
One recent study found that people performed better on memory and alertness tests when mists of aromatic rosemary oil were piped into their study cubicles. Rosemary is often used in marinades for meats and poultry, and there's scientific wisdom behind that tradition: rosmarinic acid and other antioxidant compounds in the herb fight bacteria and prevent meat from spoiling, and may even make cooked meats healthier. In March 2010, Kansas State University researchers reported that adding rosemary extracts to ground beef helped prevent the formation of heterocyclic amines (HCAs)-cancer-causing compounds produced when meats are grilled, broiled or fried.
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What are your favorite herbs and spices?

By Kerri-Ann Jennings

Kerri-Ann, a registered dietitian, is the associate editor of nutrition for EatingWell magazine, where she puts her master's degree in nutrition from Columbia University to work writing and editing news about nutrition, health and food trends. In her free time, Kerri-Ann likes to practice yoga, hike, bake and paint.

More from EatingWell:

• 4 Health Reasons to Keep Drinking Coffee (and 4 Cons to Consider)
• 9 Foods to Help You Get a Better Night's Sleep
• 3 Health Benefits of Cooking with Cast Iron
• Top 5 Foods for Weight Loss (and 5 That Make You Gain)

The 5 Cent Cure

"Healing Gourmet"

This Mineral is Vital to Your Existence...
Do You Have Enough of It?

Magnesium plays hundreds of crucial roles in your body. It helps regulate the rhythm of your heartbeat. It helps to control your blood pressure and maintain insulin sensitivity. It controls the uptake and release of many hormones and neurotransmitters and it is vital for more than 300 enzymes to function properly.

Magnesium deficiency can be associated with a long list of illnesses and symptoms including ADHD, anxiety, asthma, autism, chronic fatigue, constipation, cramps, diabetes, fibromyalgia, heart attack, headaches, high blood pressure, IBS, kidney stones, metabolic syndrome, obesity, PMS, stroke, and acid reflux, just to name a few.

A rich, whole foods diet should provide all the magnesium your body requires. On the other hand, processed foods - which make up about 90% of the money Americans spend on food - contain almost none of this vital mineral.

And we further deplete our body's magnesium stores with the phosphoric acid in colas and coffee, by consuming sugar and carbohydrates, salt, excess alcohol, diuretics (water pills), antibiotics and other drugs. We also lose more magnesium as we age.

To Keep Your Magnesium Levels in a Healthy Range...

Be sure to enjoy dark leafy greens (like spinach and Swiss chard), nuts, pumpkin seeds and sunflower seeds, wild salmon and halibut, black beans and navy beans... and don't forget the most decadent source of magnesium - delicious dark cocoa!

And because magnesium deficiency is such a life-threatening problem, you may want to ensure adequate body levels with a supplement. Magnesium citrate and magnesium chloride are the forms that are best absorbed (as opposed to magnesium oxide). If you have difficulty swallowing, consider a liquid supplement.

The RDA is 420 mg for adult males and 320 mg for adult females, however, there is solid evidence that these numbers are lower than optimal.

To Get Rid of Hardened Cholesterol Plaque...

by Dr David G Williams, Doctor and Scientist. ALTERNATIVES 800-527-3044

I published a story, like this one that I am writing, about four years ago in this blog, and now I will update it.

Solution
There are only four ways to pull out hardened cholesterol plaque from your arteries.
*One is to have an operation.

*Two is to get 30-50 intravenous drip chelation treatments which cost about $100 each and require sitting with a needle in your arm for at least three hours per session. Some patients have to endure over 100 chelation sessions. (Insurance will not pay for this)

* The third way is oral chelation (with tablets). That's easier, but the results are mixed.

*My treatment of choice is LECITHIN, which costs about $2 a month, and is available anywhere, and is painless. Why does it work? Because every particle of cholesterol contains lecithin, and when enough lecithin is present in your blood, the hardened gunk dissolves and gets flushed away. When you use lecithin, you've lowered the melting point of the hard, oxidized cholesterol, and it washes into the bloodstream.

I take 1360mg a day, and some folks double it. Lecithin can be bought in most GNC stores, but I buy mine in Green Mountain. I, Scott Bumgarner, might add that my cholesterol dropped from 178 down to 146 in the last two years, and I am a Type 2 diabetic. I have no known heart disease at age sixty-six.

ALZHEIMER'S CURED

ALTERNATIVES Mountain Home Publishing Co PO Box 3276 Lancaster, PA 17604
Dr David G Williams (I copied this from Alternatives. No I did not write it or publish it, bumgarneresb)

Universal scientists announce the first actual reversal of this runaway disease. The scientific community is so stunned by the November announcement our of Irvine, CA. The research team has discovered that "nicotinamide" a type of B Vitamin, taken in unusually large doses, restores the memory loss of Alzheimer's disease.

NICOTINAMIDE = NIACINAMIDE

Officially, the cure is nicotinamide. But that is just another name for the more familiar niacinamide (nye-a-sin-AM-ide). It was changed a few years ago for psychological reasons, for the sake of non-professionals.

All the researchers in the study were both astonished and excited. Rarely do you hear researchers using the word "cured", but that's exactly what happened.

Mother Nature has cleverly placed your brain inside a covering that lets in oxygen and other nutrients but filters out bacteria and bad stuff. It is called the "blood-brain barrier" and if it ever breaks down, one is in trouble. One could even get problems like epilepsy or multiple sclerosis.

Lab researchers know how formidable the blood-brain barrier is. That's why they were so blown away when they found niacinamide sails through it like hot tea through a fire hose.

AD doesn't disappear over night. If you or a loved one have any noticeable symptoms of Alzheimer's at all, you've probably been accumulating those brain clogging plaques and tangles for many years. So they're not going to dissolve and go way in just hours.

Yes, niacinamide works miracles, but no, it's not a magic pill that erases all the past damage instantly.

Dr Williams said that he used niacinamide in his own practice for several years back when I was still taking patients in the 1980s', and saw some amazing improvements--in patients' sense of balance, osteoarthritis, mobility problems, fatigue, and muscle weakness.

And now for a little bit of nonsense:

The swivel chair mafia is scared to death of the Irvine study. No Salvation from Big Pharma. So taking lots of niacinamide just to be sure, "is harmless". But prevention through drugs is just too risky. We have known for a while that regular use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) could decrease the risk of AD somewhat, but the long term side effects, like intestinal bleeding and liver damage, make this a poor trade off.

So since there has been no accepted cure for AD, and the best that can be hoped for with other current therapies is to slow the disease's progression, I can't understand why there would be any hesitation in beginning niacinamide therapy. It's absolutely safe ---- and inexpensive.

Eat Green Vegetables, Live Healthier

	by vanessalane
Hence it’s proven that vegetarian can live up to more than hundreds years of age. As a matter of consideration green vegetables helps us in maintain a good health. Green vegetables are basically a good combination of all essential nutrients and vitamins which plays a vital role in fighting the miseries and suffering of a human life. Eating a lot of meat and protein based foods is not appreciated all the time, we may also require the goodness of greens as well. Rather consulting a doctor, why don’t we get free help from these green vegetables, which are abundant in key beneficiary elements? It seems we are less aware about the health issues and the significance of greens. It is proven that dark leafy vegetables contain a lot of mesmerizing abilities of healing, curing, maintaining and improving human health. Commonly, lettuce, spinach, broccoli and cauliflower are the most eatable vegetables due to their immense benefits. From skin issues to artillery problems, greens are all in all solution and cheap natural remedies. For different deceases, essential elements are in abundance which keeps us healthy. Now, the dwellers of civilized world are very much focused on adopting a dietary habit which includes a good amount of green veggies. It’s better to understand your daily nutrient need while counseling free advice. Eating green vegetables increases the chances of a healthier living, as we get the entire essentials in a very simple dietary package. Good consumption of salads and raw vegetables decrease common health issues like constipation due to rich dietary fiber and starch. Even it is recommended by different scientific researches that continues intake of green vegetables keep our internal structure in a well balance. Similarly, vegetables increase the level of our immune system. Like other issues, greens are the perfect way to stop aging. Now days, aging are the major issue in both genders. Even condensed extracts from different vegetables are used in different medicines and beauty products. Antioxidants in different vegetables improve our internal system and improve our capability to fight against different deceases. Folic acid and Vitamins are quite necessary for healthy hair growth. Nature is always here for us to help use, to give us free advice if we try to understand the nature of our problems. So it’s better to keep on eating leafy vegetables rather depending on plain diet or meaty habits. Mother Nature is full of surprises and greens are the most outstanding blessing of the creator. But it’s quite unfortunate for general humans, as we know less about the countless benefits of greens. It’s a free help form mother nature, if we consider the necessity of green vegetables in our general health issues.

Lemons and Cancer

Eating a Lemon  is lot Healthier than eating an Orange  ........ LEMON   will clean all your INTESTINES..  Which orange don't ..         LISTEN UP FOLKS: This is something that we should all take seriously.  Even doctors are now saying that there in value in trying "LEMON"     A must-read- The surprising benefits of lemon! I remain perplexed! ================================ Institute of Health Sciences, 819 N. L.L.C. Charles Street Baltimore , MD 1201. This is the latest in medicine, effective for cancer! Read carefully & you be the judge. Lemon (Citrus) is a miraculous product to kill cancer cells. It is 10,000 times stronger than chemotherapy. Why do we not know about that? Because there are laboratories interested in making a synthetic version that will bring them huge profits. You can now help a friend in need by letting him/her know that lemon juice is beneficial in preventing the disease. Its taste is pleasant and it does not produce the horrific effects of chemotherapy. How many people will die while this closely guarded secret is kept, so as not to jeopardize the beneficial multimillionaires large corporations? As you know, the lemon tree is known for its varieties of lemons and limes. You can eat the fruit in different ways: you can eat the pulp, juice press, prepare drinks, sorbets, pastries, etc... It is credited with many virtues, but the most interesting is the effect it produces on cysts and tumors. This plant is a proven remedy against cancers of all types. Some say it is very useful in all variants of cancer. It is considered also as an anti microbial spectrum against bacterial infections and fungi, effective against internal parasites and worms, it regulates blood pressure which is too high and an antidepressant, combats stress and nervous disorders. The source of this information is fascinating: it comes from one of the largest drug manufacturers in the world, says that after more than 20 laboratory tests since 1970, the extracts revealed that: It destroys the malignant cells in 12 cancers, including colon, breast, prostate, lung and pancreas ... The compounds of this tree showed 10,000 times better than the product Adriamycin, a drug normally used chemotherapeutic in the world, slowing the growth of cancer cells.  And what is even more astonishing: this type of therapy with lemon extract only destroys malignant cancer cells and it does not affect healthy cells.   Institute of Health Sciences, 819 N. L.L.C. Cause Street, Baltimore, MD1201

Caution: Is There an Excitotoxin in Your Supplement?

by Daniel P. Kray, Senior Editor 

Published: June 22, 2011

We like Vitamin C for a lot of things, from prevention to post-infection treatment. That's why we're concerned about the popularity of certain hyped Vitamin C products. A natural cold and flu remedy would be great, but what sort of extra baggage is hitching a ride on these packs of Vitamin C supplements? Turns out, a pair of unnecessary ingredients,

aspartic acid (or asparagine) and sucralose, are often tagging along. You may have to look into the fine print of the ingredients list, but you'll be surprised at how often they show up.

L-aspartic acid is one of our non-essential amino acids. The body makes it, so we don't need to get it from our diets. We definitely need it for energy creation, nerve function, and a host of other bodily activities. But like most good things, too much can be bad. 

In excess, aspartic acid becomes an excitotoxin, revving the neurons and nervous system up so high that nerve damage can be a result. In effect, excitotoxins cause our neurons to die from excitement!

In fact, if the facts behind Aspartame make you uncomfortable, aspartic acid is a large part (40%) of the reason. In our bodies, this artificial sweetener breaks down into phenylalanine, methanol, and aspartic acid. Methanol is just plain toxic, but the overdose of amino acids can likewise do great harm. Sucralose (Splenda) is of course much the same thing as Aspartame-an artificial sweetener. 

This one mostly passes out of the body without being metabolized, but some 15-20% does not pass out of the body immediately. Since sucralose is an organochloride (an organic chlorine compound), many of us are justifiably concerned about the possibility of introducing free chlorine molecules into our bloodstream and tissues. Makes you nostalgic for good old belly-expanding glucose!

Since the liver can produce aspartic acid whenever bodily levels are low, we never experience true aspartic acid deficiencies, so there is no need to get it through supplements. Easy then, we won't take aspartic acid supplements. That is, unless we don't know it's there in our other supplements! 

Now, weight lifting supplements often contain aspartic acid along with a medley of the other amino acids, so there is an issue there. However, for the Earth Clinic community we're more concerned about products like Ester-C (the brand) and Emergen-C, both of which add aspartic acid to their Vitamin C supplements. Just check out the Other Ingredients on the fine print on this ingredients list to see for yourself.

Products advertised as energy boosters frequently contain aspartic acid, as do whey powder products. Airborne and Super C Vitamin C products do not seem to use aspartic acid (please do not read that as a general endorsement); however, Airborne and Super C do contain sucralose as a sweetener, as do FRS Healthy Energy products.

Additionally, you're likely to find aspartic acid in these products:

• Various collagen formulas
• Bragg Liquid Aminos
• Many potassium-magnesium supplements
• Many folic acid tablets
• Many lipoic acid supplements
• Many Nature's Plus products
• Some Solgar vitamin supplements
• Some Nutritech supplements

Now, plenty of foods naturally contain aspartic acid as well, and the body is happy to find it there. It is nature-made, not man-made (unlike sucralose). We don't want to alarm anyone, just let you know what you're potentially putting in your body. Toxic levels of this amino acid are definitely possible, so take a look at your supplement labels and make the best choice for your own health.

The following Earth Clinic reader contributions (and a note from Ted) should help you make the decision that is right for you.

Vitamin C and Excitotoxins

Catherine from Seattle, WA writes: "I was fighting a sinus infection last week after landing in California and went to a Whole Foods to get some Vitamin C. I decided to get Emergen-C to add to water because it had a really tempting fruity flavor. Immediately after taking my first packet (which was delicious), I felt a weird sensation in my head and then I got really edgy (as in bad mood edgy). 

I read the ingredients on the box and sure enough, the vitamin C used in this brand is Aspartic acid, an excitotoxin. The Emergen-C also contained "natural flavors", aka MSG. I waited 24 hours and tried again to see if I would have the same side effects. Again, within a minute of drinking the packet, I got the same sensation in my head. My question is, are you doing more good or harm to the body when you take this form of vitamin c?!!"

Ted from Bangkok, Thailand replies: "Aspartic acid is a well known excitotoxin and so is monosodium glutamate or MSG. In the long run it's going to destroy the immune system through a neurodegenerative disorder. Once the excitotoxin is destroyed the immune system is down. Now in a pharmaceutical formulation adding this results in the need to take that since you get sicker and so you might feel some relief, the long term is it's going to make a person sicker, which result in greater sales for product with excitotoxins added. 

Now imagine a child who is a borderline autism, ADHD, these can result in many other neurodegenerative disorders and metabolic acidosis. As for me decades ago I took accidentally soft drinks with aspartame resulting in deafness, but also a permanent partial macular degeneration of the eyes. So the systematic destruction is almost wholesale if given long term use. 

Luckily Emergen C is not sold in Thailand, although some friends of mine have given me this, I don't take it. I prefer to buy bulk vitamin C and mix them myself. There are other excitotoxins, but aspartic acid, aspartame, monosodium glutamate, and glutamic acid are the most well known...

Therefore most effervescent products sometimes they are not labeled so I ended up calling the factory sometimes. One easy way to measure excitotoxin poisoning is that the urinary pH suddenly become very acid, such as pH 5.5 or lower and even taking more baking soda barely raise the pH long enough to be satisfactory. Such as it can't raise the pH for the entire day. 

It also takes weeks for the pH to be near normal after taking b complex and baking soda for a week or two. A long term taking of this can also resulted in higher urinary sugar and damaged pancreas, besides damaging the brain. One of the worse advertisement I have seen is Michael J. Fox supporting Diet Pepsi, which contains aspartame, and he himself has Parkinson's disease, which will make such conditions much worse. 

The remedy is not to take aspartame for Parkinson's disease or to undergo stem cells, since it's not yet legal at the moment and stem cell research has been blocked for at least 8 years. Methylene blue taken at 2 drops at 0.1% concentration might reverse some of the effects of excitotoxins as it is one of my remedies for Parkinson's disease also.

Taking excitotoxins is a long term damage that may lead to degenerative disorders, metabolic acidosis, and lowered immune system. Therefore I would avoid them as best as I can.

Ted"

Supplements Brought on Rage

Wes from Webster, TX writes: "I'm 220 and work out almost everyday. I started taking 2000mg of vitamin C. Ester C tablets. A few days later I noticed I was very easily enraged. I did this for about 4 weeks and decided it wasn't worth it. I recently started taking an animal pack vitamin package. After taking for several days I noticed the same effect. Read the ingredient 2000 mg Vitamin C. So I stopped taking it. Is there anyway to counteract the aggressiveness. IE some other vitamin."

Christine replies: "This afternoon, I visited your site and noted a comment by a reader who said that Ester C made him enraged. It's not the Vitamin C, it's the aspartic acid in the Ester C product. I verified this with an aspartame activist. 

Aspartic acid is an excitotoxin, a poison that kills brain cells. Yep, it's the same stuff as in aspartame. All of the studies done on Vitamin C were done with sodium ascorbate, which is a type of chemically buffered Vitamin C. It's best to take it as a powder in water, because you can get gastritis if you take too many pills."