Five Herbs and Spices to Turn Ordinary Meals into ‘Supermeals’

Incorporating these five herbs and spices into your daily diet may reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease, protect your brain from neurodegeneration, stimulate your immune system and protect against inflammation, among other benefits. Best of all, these ingredients are all easily available and may already exist in your pantry or spice rack Over the years, researchers have become increasingly interested in the effects of diet and natural compounds on human health, finding that many herbs and spices are equally or more effective than many conventional medicines and treatments, and often present far fewer adverse effects while being more cost-effective. Here are five herbs and spices you can add to your diet to turn ordinary meals into nutrient-dense "supermeals."

9 Herbs and Plants That Will Lower Your Blood Pressure Naturally

Nearly one third of adults have high blood pressure, or hypertension. A quarter of all prescribed medications are for high blood pressure and long-term use often leads to heart failure, heart attacks, and interference with calcium metabolism. If you are thinking of turning to herbal treatments for lowering your blood pressure, you have many options and there are many effective remedies at your disposal.

Chinese Herb Better than FDA-Approved Drugs for Rheumatoid Arthritis

Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disease in which your body’s immune system mistakenly attacks your joints. The abnormal immune response causes inflammation that can damage joints and organs, such as the heart. It’s chronic, extremely painful, and can be debilitating. But now, a high-profile study published in the Annals of Rheumatic Diseases has shown that a natural herb can be more effective than FDA-approved drugs.

Fenugreek – 6 Reasons Why This Herb and Spice Belongs In Your Medicine Cabinet

Trigonella foenum in graecum (Fenugreek) is a traditional herbal plant used to treat disorders like diabetes, low lactation, respiratory ailments, wounds, inflammation, gastrointestinal ailments, detoxification of heavy metals, pain, colds and even cancer.

Herbal Medicine Alters Genes, Cell Mitosis and Epigenome

Genetics researchers from Taiwan's National Central University have determined that over a third of herbal medicines used in Traditional Chinese Medicine - and nearly all leading therapeutic herbs - alter our genes or alter enzymes that alter our genetic material. The researchers analyzed 3,294 traditional Chinese medicines – combinations of herbs – and found that 1,170 or 36% will interact with enzymes that alter the histones that lie within our chromosome material. The histones organize the DNA during this chromatin condensation process. This relates directly to DNA repair.

The Ultimate Herbal Traveling Companion: Tulsi, First Aid in a Teacup

As the pre-eminent adaptogen, tulsi has a unique combination of anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-microbial and other actions that combine to help the body and mind adapt and cope with a wide range of physical, emotional, chemical and infectious stresses. Tulsi's unique pharmacological activity particularly helps address many issues faced by modern air travelers such as infection, fatigue, thrombosis, anxiety and dealing with restraint, noise, hypoxia, (from oxygen reduction), radiation, industrial chemicals and poor sleep.

Chamomile Proven to Fight Anxiety and Clinical Depression

Recent clinical and laboratory research has determined that chamomile is not only relaxing, but it can significantly decrease anxiety and even fight depression. The most recent study, from the UK's University of Nottingham Medical School, found that chamomile significantly relaxed blood vessels and smooth muscle fibers. This effect of chamomile to soothe and calm the system was also shown in a recent study from the Eulji University Hospital in South Korea. Here, 56 patients undergoing coronary treatment and surgery were given aromatherapy with a combination of lavender, chamomile and neroli. A control group was given only nursing care. The researchers found that the aromatherapy group had significantly lower anxiety and improved sleep compared to the control group.

Can Chinese Herbal Medicine Treat Cancer? The Research Says Yes

A large scale review of research by Australia and Chinese University scientists has proved with thousands of studies using hundreds of thousands of cancer patients that Chinese herbal medicine offers significant treatment for most types of cancers - including breast cancer.

14 Natural Items for Your Alternative First Aid Kit

Health Impact News Comments: Kathleen Broadhurst has come up with a pretty good list here. Click through to her article to get the full details. One caution: she recommends “Emer-gen-C” which usually has as its first “other” ingredient “fructose.” You might want to get a powdered Vitamin C from non-GMO sources instead. Most ascorbic […]

9 Healing Herbs and How to Use Them in Your Cooking

Great article on these 9 herbs: Basil, Ginger, Garlic, Flat Leaf Parsley, Cilantro, Turmeric, Mint, Fenugreek, and Lavender
by Sara Novak
planetgreen.com
We’ve been told time and time again to eat our veggies but more often than not we tend to forget that herbs can be just as crucial for adding nutritional density to the foods we eat […]