90 Days: A Journey Towards Health

Chapter 8 To Season Or Not To Season

I woke up this morning still determined to make a life change. I can announce my completion of the first round of exercise. Yes, thirty minutes down. Two hours and ten minutes left for the day. I've got this.

Now, to season or not to season. The use of herbs and spices has been incredibly important throughout history. Especially for those who like their food to have flavor.

Many, herbs and spices, were celebrated for their medicinal properties, well before culinary use.

Modern science has now shown that many of them do indeed carry remarkable health benefits.

Here are ten of the world's healthiest herbs and spices.

1. Cinnamon lowers blood sugar levels and has a powerful anti-diabetic effect.

Cinnamon is a popular spice, found in all sorts of recipes and baked goods. It contains a compound called cinnamaldehyde, which is responsible for cinnamon's medicinal properties.

Cinnamon has potent antioxidant activity, helps fight inflammation and has been shown to lower cholesterol and triglycerides in the blood.

Can someone please pass the cinnamon?

But where cinnamon really shines is in its effects on blood sugar levels.

This is what I want to hear.

Cinnamon can lower blood sugar by several mechanisms, including by slowing the breakdown of carbs in the digestive tract and improving insulin sensitivity.

Studies have shown that cinnamon can lower fasting blood sugars by 10-29% in diabetic patients, which, let me tell you, is a significant amount.

The effective dose is typically 0.5-2 teaspoons of cinnamon per day. I wonder how it would taste on peanut butter toast? Can't hurt to try it.

2. Sage can improve brain function and memory.

Not sure if I like the taste of sage, I can't remember.

Sage gets its name from the Latin word Salvere, which means "to save."

It had a strong reputation for its healing properties during the middle ages and was even used to help prevent the plague.

Interesting.

Other studies have also shown that sage can improve memory function in healthy people, both young and old.

3. Peppermint relieves IBS pain and may reduce nausea.

Peppermint has a long history of use in folk medicine and aromatherapy.

As is the case with many herbs, it is the oily component that contains the agents responsible for the health effects.

Peppermint oil can improve pain management in irritable bowel syndrome, or IBS.
Thankful for anything helping to soothe a rumbly tummy.

It appears to work by relaxing the smooth muscles in the colon, which relieves pain experienced during bowel movements. It also helps to reduce abdominal bloating, which is a common digestive symptom.

Peppermint in aromatherapy may help fight nausea.

I have a friend who uses peppermint to fight nausea caused by car sickness. She swears by it.

4. Turmeric contains curcumin, a substance with powerful anti-inflammatory effects

Turmeric is the spice that gives curry its yellow color.

We use it to dye eggs.

It contains several compounds with medicinal properties, the most important of which is curcumin.