Usage of herbal medicines are on the rise, prompting some to turn to the kitchen for a home remedy instead of using conventional medicine.
Integrating herbs into the diet has been an ancient medicinal practice for thousands of years, and many herbs are the main derivative of our pharmaceutical drugs today. Herbs are a simple, yet slightly overlooked way to easily maintain overall health and wellness. They’re also a flavorful way to add some extra spice and nutrients to many recipes and teas.
Whether you’re sick, tired, stressed, bloated or just want to feel better all around, adding some herbs into each meal can help us feel our best. Here are a few powerful herbs and their specific beneficial properties:
Rosemary
If you’re hitting the books this fall or just need an overall boost in mood, memory or anxiety relief, rosemary is the herb for you. With its recognizable fragrance and heavy presence in the use of aromatherapy, there’s much more than just a pleasant aroma when looking at the benefits of rosemary. Studies have shown that Rosemary extract has antioxidant, anti inflammatory, and anticancer properties.
Most recently, a randomized clinical trial uncovered that the oral use of Rosemary can decrease anxiety and depression while increasing sleep quality in university students. The same study also found rosemary to be a natural memory enhancer. Basically, it acts as nature’s brain booster.
Rosemary can be bought in the form of a tincture, capsule or dry herb and can be applied topically for skin and hair health. For use in the diet, try using fresh leaves to make a rosemary tea, sprinkle it on veggies or meat or add fresh rosemary to a salad for added spice.
Echinacea
As the weather slowly starts to change and temperatures dip, we turn to echinacea for a natural immunity boost. This sweet and floral herb’s most researched benefit is how it acts as an antibacterial agent to treat respiratory symptoms. In other words, Echinacea added to the diet can help combat symptoms such as a cough, chest pain, difficulty breathing and much more.
Regular use of echinacea can also be beneficial to help fight inflammation, boost brain health and even reduce levels of anxiety. Although this purple coneflower might not be well known in western society, there are still plenty of ways to get your hands on it. Echinacea can be found online or in health food stores in a tincture, capsule or tea form. Try taking it everyday as a capsule or making some fresh tea, and you might be lucky enough to miss out on the dreaded common cold.
St. John’s Wort
Vivid and cheery in color, St. John’s Wort is here to brighten up your salads and your mood. This yellow, star-shaped herb has been used for centuries to treat depressive disorders. In the middle ages, St. John’s Wort was used to “ease a troubled mind” and later used for “nervous affections with depression.”
Today, we know that the herb has been researched on a broader scale and is now widely used for the treatment of depression, anxiety, insomnia and seasonal depression disorder. Whether or not you suffer from these symptoms, adding St. John’s Wort into your diet is a safe and effective way to either combat symptoms of depression and anxiety or stop them before they start.
Bitter and bold in flavor, St. John’s Wort has a flavor similar to black tea, and is best enjoyed in a tea form. To make the herb more palatable, add milk and honey to sweeten it up or sprinkle it on your favorite salad as an edible garnish.
Maca
Rich in fiber, essential amino acids and other vitamins and minerals; Maca root is a nutrient-dense herb that can improve sexual and reproductive health in both males and females. Maca has grown in popularity in recent years due to some studies concluding its aid in female menopausal symptoms, hormone regulation and even hair follicle growth and protection. Oh, and did I mention it’s been proven to increase sexual desire?
Maca has also been shown to increase sperm production in males, benefitting their reproductive system as a whole. Adding maca root into the diet is a nutrient-dense, natural way to give the male or female reproductive system a little boost.
Earthy and nutty in flavor, maca root can be purchased in the form of a powder and added to oatmeal, smoothies, pancake mix, coffee or any other baked goods you want enriched with an earthy flavor. You can also make a maca latte with steamed milk for a coffee-alternative that’s sure to get your blood flowing in all the right places.
Ginger
Feeling bloated before a big event or night out? A little nauseous the morning after? Ginger’s got your back in more ways than one. First mentioned in Ayurvedic and Chinese medical literature, this versatile root has a warming, slightly fiery effect on the GI tract and is sometimes described as having a citrusy or soapy flavor.
Ginger has been used to treat or lessen the symptoms of cold, fever, sore throats, infectious diseases, arthritis, rheumatism, sprains, muscular aches, pains, cramps, hypertension, dementia, migraine, nervous diseases, gingivitis, toothaches, indigestion, nausea and vomiting.
A wonderful addition to any healthy lifestyle, ginger is one of the widest used herbs for general health and wellness. Many researchers have recognized its potential to be developed into functional foods for prevention and management of chronic diseases.
Luckily, it’s easy to add ginger into meals for almost any time of the day. Get creative with its spicy, unique flavor by pairing it with sweet fruits in oatmeal or on top of pancakes/waffles for a sweet, yet spicy breakfast. Add it into cooked vegetables or a salad for lunch or turn to a homemade ginger tea before bed to reap the full benefits.
Turmeric
This Indian herb, commonly used as a spice in curry dishes, may be the most powerful anti-inflammatory herb known to man. Yellow in color and belonging to the ginger family, this golden herb works wonders for blocking the very enzyme that creates inflammatory cells in our bodies. It can work to reverse adverse effects of oxidative stress on our bodies that can occur from eating excess processed food. With over 3000 publications completed within the past 25 years dealing with turmeric, it’s clear that modern medicine has begun to recognize its healing power.
Much like ginger, the biggest benefits of turmeric are its antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer properties. Turmeric has been proven to decrease appetite and increase metabolism for someone trying to lose weight.
Best absorbed when cooked, turmeric has a very earthy and nutty flavor that’s a delicious addition to rice, eggs, tofu, veggies, smoothies, oatmeal or enjoyed alone in a latte paired with cinnamon.
Cinnamon
Unlike many other herbs, this traditional spice is very well known in Western culture and used widely in most households today. Typically paired with butter or sugar to create a sweet treat, the benefits of cinnamon are often overlooked.
Containing manganese, iron, fiber and calcium, cinnamon is another antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and anticancer herb. Cinnamon extracts have also been reported to inhibit bacteria by damaging its cell membrane. More research needs to be done to pinpoint the exact benefits of cinnamon extract on the body, but food scientists and researchers alike agree that it’s a beneficial addition to the diet.
Sprinkle cinnamon on top of coffee, on top of breakfast foods or add it to a smoothie for some added sweetness. Cinnamon’s sweet flavor is wonderful when paired with hints of ginger, nutmeg or turmeric.
