Seven Herbs & Spices With Medicinal Properties

Mankind has used herbs and spices to flavour our food for thousands of years. It is theorised that their ability to impart flavour was probably discovered by hunter gatherers who used leaves to wrap food prior to cooking on an open fire.

Ancient civilizations also used herbs and spices for their medicinal benefits, Egyptian documents dating back to 1555 BC mention several herbs and spices noted for their ability to promote good health.

Mesopotamian cuneiform dated around 3,000 BC records the use of herbs and spices which grew in the fertile valleys of the Euphretes, and ancient Assyrians also had an excellent knowledge of herbs and spices.

The Mesopotamian moon god "Nanna" was one of the most important deities in Mesopotamia, and believed to control medicinal plants. For this reason, ancient Mesopotamian's would only harvest medically active plants under moonlight, and it was considered taboo to let sunlight touch the parts of a plant that had been harvested for healing.

Today, most of us have a more relaxed approach when snipping off a few basil leaves, but modern clinical studies continue to back up the information provided by our ancestors. Here are six herbs and spices with known medicinal properties:

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Sage

 

Sage has been proven to increase alertness and and improve recollection. In a recent study, participants who had taken Sage oil capsules outperformed those who had not in a recall test.

Sage also has potential as a treatment for diabetes, it appears to reduce blood sugar levels and may even help insulin to convert blood sugar into energy more efficiently.

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Ginger

 

Ginger has been used in traditional Indian medicine for hundreds of years, and studies have shown that it is highly effective at reducing pain and swelling caused by arthritis. Ginger is widely recognised as a powerful anti-inflammatory.

It also reduces nausea as well as the best prescription treatments, and improves digestion.

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Coriander & Cilantro

 

Coriander seeds have been used medicinally for thousands of years. The seeds are crushed and a strong tea is brewed to improve digestion and relieve heartburn and stomach cramps.

Cilantro (the leaf and stem portions of Coriandrum sativum) also has it's own unique health benefits. Herbal tea brewed from the plant contains stearic, linoleic, oleic, palmitic, and ascorbic acids which can effectively reduce cholesterol levels.

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Nutmeg

 

Nutmeg contains powerful antibacterial properties and can even kill a number of the oral bacteria responsible for cavities. Nutmeg can also cause hallucinations in large doses. This is because it contains Myristicin, a psycho-active substance.

Before you all run to the kitchen and grab the cheese grater, I should also point out that large doses of nutmeg can also cause headaches, chest pain, and abdominal pain!

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Garlic

 

Though technically not a herb or spice, Garlic does have some impressive properties. It's a powerful antibacterial, and has also been proven to help reduce high blood pressure.

Clinical studies indicate that Garlic possesses significant cardioprotective properties which can reduce the risk of heart disease and other metabolic diseases including Thrombosis.

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Tumeric

 

Probably the most beneficial spice on the planet, its healing properties are so numerous that over 10,000 peer reviewed papers have been published on the health benefits of Curcumin, a compound found within this spice.

As an anti-depressant, Curcumiin was found to be as effective as Prozac in a recent study. It also has anaesthetic, anti-inflammatory, and anti-cancer properties, and can even help lower blood sugar levels in diabetics.

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Cannabis

 

Widely persecuted by governments across the globe, Cannabis is now finally gaining a reprieve in the form of legalization or decriminalisation in many regions.

Unfortunately only 6% of Cannabis related medical studies examine it's medical benefits rather than looking to establish harmful consequences.

Studies that did look at medical benefits, found evidence that Cannabis is an effective treatment for pain in multiple sclerosis and HIV sufferers, slowing the formation of amyloid plaques (thought to cause Alzheimer's disease), relieving arthritis, controlling epileptic seizures, treating Glaucoma, and soothing tremors associated with Parkinson's disease.

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