You open your cabinet to pull out a few spices to put in your spaghetti for dinner. You toss in some garlic, oregano, and a bit of cinnamon in to give it an extra kick. What you don’t know is the ingredients that you’re putting into your pasta sauce are actually beneficial to you.
Sauce isn’t the only place where you can get these herbs. In fact, they are found in most kitchens and are commonly used for just about any dish. It’s your very own kitchen medicine cabinet except these medications are ones that you actually want to take.
As you read this are you remembering that your cupboard is looking a little bare in the spices department? To help you out with your shopping, here are a few healthy herbs that you should be grabbing.
1. Turmeric
Turmeric contains a very large amount of curcumin. If you’re unfamiliar with what this is, it’s a very strong antioxidant. Antioxidants can treat a wide range of conditions such as ones that cause crippling pain like arthritis.
Antioxidants like curcumin also make a good treatment for cancer and Alzheimers. If you don’t like the side effects of your depression medications, Tumeric is also proving effective against mental illnesses such as it.
2. Cinnamon
Millions of Americans are affected by diabetes. While cinnamon isn’t some sort of miracle cure for it, the spice can help regulate and lower your blood sugar spikes.
Americans as a whole also consume quite a bit of sugar. Cinnamon can work as a sugar substitute which means it can help control obesity and heart conditions as well as diabetes.
The best part? Sugar substitutes are horrible for you. Cinnamon prevents you from having to use them.
If that sounds weird let us ask you, have you ever sweetened your coffee with cinnamon? Don’t knock it until you try it.
3. Rosemary
Rosemary is the perfect spice to spread on your Thanksgiving turkey but that’s not all it can do. If you just have it around where you can smell it, the fragrance can help regulate your mood as well as help you concentrate.
Be warned that if you’re planning on growing it for the fragrance factor you can’t plant it near anything else. It has a habit of taking over everything in your garden.
If you can’t resist cooking with it, the spice can help slow down cognitive decline if you eat it. Rosemary can also work as an easy hair growth if you spread the oil around on your head. It may smell a little better than minoxidil anyway.
4. Ashitaba
You may have never heard of Ashitaba before but it’s a leafy plant that originated in Japan. It’s full of vitamins and minerals which would make it a huge asset to your kitchen.
Due to its vitamin count and antioxidants, there is a large number of things that it can do such as fight the telling signs of aging, boost your immune system, prevent cancer, improve your immune system, treat diabetes, and increase your metabolism.
If you’re interested in seeing everything that this herb can do, you can get a little more information about it from this helpful post.
5. Ginger
There is a reason why people pick up ginger ale when they’re feeling a bit queasy on their stomach. Ginger is notorious for fighting nausea. It’s great for helping expecting mothers fight morning sickness and can keep chemotherapy patients on their feet.
On top of helping with stomach cramps, ginger can also fight muscle and joint pains.
6. Cayenne Pepper
If you love spicy food, cayenne pepper is just the herb you need to help curve your hunger. Literally. Sprinkling cayenne pepper on your food can help you get hungry less and cause you to lose weight.
On top of making you feel less hungry, cayenne pepper can also help control your cravings for salty foods. If you’re not a fan of spicy food, the good news is all you need is a little pinch of it for it to work its magic.
7. Garlic
There is a reason why so many dishes call for the use of garlic. It’s a delicious little plant and turns out, it can also help lower your blood pressure. So, if you’re having heart problems due to blood pressure, cook with more garlic.
There is also a little bit of evidence that suggests that garlic can help relieve cold symptoms.
8. Peppermint
Speaking of cold symptoms, there is nothing better than hot peppermint tea when you have a sore throat. A sore throat isn’t the only thing that peppermint can cure though.
The fresh minty scent can help put you in a better mood and ease your mind if you feel like you can’t concentrate. Peppermint can also be a great way to ease nausea if that cold we were talking about earlier has your stomach in knots.
9. Oregano
Just like garlic, oregano is an herb that is used in most kitchens all over America. A lot of recipes call for it but did you know that it also has more antioxidants in it than most fruits?
Just a little bit of oregano is enough to fight heart disease, calm your free radicals, and ease infections. Not to mention that it’s also been proven effective in preventing strokes and cancer.
If this didn’t convince you to go pick up a bottle of oregano when you go shopping, it’s also chocked full of vitamins E, K, calcium, fiber, manganese, and iron.
Healthy Herbs You Should Be Trying Out
While you probably don’t think about it much when you’re stirring your pot of pasta sauce, many of the herbs you’re using in it have a ton of health benefits. Head to the store and pick up some of the healthy herbs on this list to keep the good coming in.
If you’re not big on the taste of some of these herbs that’s fine. Keep reading to see how you can get some of the same effects in the form of a supplement.
