The array of healthy herbs and spices that our plant world has to offer us expands our palates and perks up our dinner plates and also perform important restorative functions throughout our bodies to help keep us healthy, vibrant, and disease-free.
These as especially noteworthy for two reasons: Each is distinctly potent for healing, make excellent additions to your favorite meal dishes and they’re all easy to find and easy on the wallet.
1.Turmeric has profound anti-inflammatory properties. Turmeric’s pain relieving, immune-modulating, heavy metal-detoxifying, and cancer-preventing benefits are pronounced. A relative of ginger, it is among the world’s most therapeutic natural substances. There are at least 580 different ways in which turmeric can help the body, which include its ability to prevent and fight cancer, mitigate radioactive exposure, protect against disease-causing inflammation, and bolster brain health. Turmeric has long held premier status in Indian Ayurvedic medicine for nearly 6,000 years.
2. Chili Pepper gives food a spicy kick! A compound found in chili pepper known as capsaicin stops the body from producing damaging inflammation. Capsaicin helps relieve pain and promote nerve health, and is an excellent choice for people with arthritis. Capsaicin, found in cayenne, jalapeños, and several other nightshades, has been shown in studies to fight cancer. Capsaicin is powerfully chemo-protective, as well as a promoter of apoptosis (causes cancer cells to commit cell “suicide.)”
3. Rhodiola Rosea, known as “golden root,” has the generalized effect of helping the body to effectively navigate a volatile and stressful world. It can directly combat the damaging effects of environmental pollution inside our bodies and help keep our minds clear and blood pressure levels in check. It helps the body to burn fat while producing more energy, lowers cortisol levels, improves brain function, and fights depression. It aids red blood cells in delivering more oxygen to muscles. Studies show that rhodiola invokes an anti-inflammatory response in the body, helping to boost performance and improve muscle recovery. The cortisol-lowering properties of rhodiola help balance thyroid function and optimize hormone production.
4. Ginseng – There are 11 different varieties of this well-known herb. It is one of the most popular native remedies in the world and is used to treat headaches, promote fertility, improve digestion, and boost energy levels, strengthen the immune system, and aid in sexual healing and rejuvenation. Ginseng has an amazing ability to keep disease-causing inflammation at bay. Ginseng is a powerful anti-cancer herb that improvs the function of natural killer cells while minimizing oxidative stress throughout the body.
5. Ginkgo Biloba has a solid track record of therapeutic use that extends thousands of years. Ginkgo biloba exhibits powerful anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and immune-modulating effects that are well-documented in scientific literature. People use ginkgo regularly to help improve memory, mood, and brain function. Science suggests that this herb can help increase energy and improve focus. Ginkgo stands out from the rest for its ability to prevent, and even reverse, cognitive decline and neurodegeneration, while helping to lift one’s spirits and improve feelings of calm and contentment. Nervous system disorders like fibromyalgia respond positively to ginkgo.
#6: Bacopa is another Ayurvedic herb that shows incredible healing benefits for brain health as it relates to concentration and memory. Bacopa has an adaptogenic effect in helping to mitigate stress and stress-related health conditions, emphasized by its ability to modulate the brain’s production of dopamine and other “feel-good” chemicals as needed. It helps relieve anxiety and depression, and studies show it can help ward off degenerative brain conditions like Alzheimer’s disease.
#7: Periwinkle has an extensive history of use in Ayurveda. Periwinkle is loaded with vinca alkaloids that are powerfully cytotoxic − meaning they kill cancer cells. In addition to helping lower blood pressure and fighting off pathogens, vinca alkaloids are so effective in healing cancer that they are said to be the second-most-used class of cancer “drugs” in modern medicine.
#8: Astragalus contains an array of saponins, flavonoids, polysaccharides, and other unique compounds that boost immunity, protect against heart disease, ward off bacteria and viruses, and improve cellular communication. It has been shown to break down and eliminate tumors and is known for its ability to target the inflammatory responses that, in many cases, cause healthy cells to go rogue and become cancerous in the first place.
#9: Holy Basil is often brewed as a tea to help calm the nerves and balance blood sugar levels. It can help to restore proper functionality to both the thyroid and adrenal glands. What makes holy basil special in this regard, along with rhodiola, ginseng, and some of the other adaptogenic herbs is the fact that this herb isn’t a stimulant, yet its stress-relieving properties help normalize adrenal function, which in turn helps boost energy levels, focus, and mental stability. Holy basil helps fight cancer, exhibiting powerful anti-inflammatory and immune-boosting properties that protect nearly every system of the body from breakdown including vital organs and the cellular system. Antioxidant phytonutrients in holy basil help to promote healthy gene expression, as well as inhibit cancer metastasis and tumor growth. They’ve even exhibited a direct effect in destroying cancer cells.
#10: Lemon Balm is an herb that hails from the mint family. This healthy herb is one that many people use aromatherapeutically to promote calm, peace of mind, and restful sleep. Lemon balm helps sharpen memory, boost alertness, and improve overall mood and is a powerful antioxidant that prevents cancer-causing free radical damage throughout the body thus helping to prevent the formation of chronic disease. Lemon balm serves as a potent liver tonic aiding in the liver’s production of two of the most important antioxidants that our bodies need for health: glutathione and superoxide dismutase.
#11: Rosemary has an intoxicating aroma. Rosemary helps improve cognitive performance and mood, and helps one think better and perform daily tasks more efficiently and effectively. Two key constituents of rosemary, caffeic acid and rosemarinic acid, are potent antioxidant and anti-inflammatory compounds that help protect the body against free radical damage. Rosemary contains a substance known as carnosol that helps rid the body of toxic substances that can lead to the formation of breast cancer. Rosemary possesses generalized anti-tumoral properties that help to prevent cancers of the colon, liver, stomach, skin, and blood.