Spices: A Wealth of Health Benefits that Make Food Taste Great

NaturalNews.com

by Barbara L. Milton

Spices that stand out for their health benefits

All spices confer a list of health benefits. The addition of any of them to a prepared dish, drink, or in a supplement form will help to reduce free radical damage and combat the effects of aging. Here are a few spices that offer outstanding benefits.

Cinnamon – Three key proteins are highly important in insulin signaling, glucose transport and inflammatory response, according to Richard Anderson, researcher with the U.S.D.A. Cinnamon has insulin-like qualities that come from the release of these proteins. His and other studies have shown that just 1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon a day can help lower the risk of the constellation of factors associated with metabolic syndrome – high blood cholesterol, triglyceride and glucose levels – by as much as 10 to 30 percent.

A study in Hormone Metabolism Research found that cinnamon prevents insulin resistance even in animals eating a high-fructose diet.

Cinnamon is anti-microbial and can stop the growth of bacteria, fungi and yeast. A study in the International Journal of Food Microbiology found that a few drops of cinnamon essential oil added to carrot broth were able to preserve it and fight pathogens.

Cinnamon has anti-clotting and anti-inflammatory properties, which reduce clumping of blood platelets. It is suspected that cinnamon boosts brain function. Of all the spices, cinnamon is one of the richest sources of antioxidants.

Ginger – Gingerol, the active ingredient in ginger, has been shown to significantly help with nausea, vomiting, and morning sickness. It was found to be as twice as effective as Dramamine in preventing motion sickness. It is a powerful antioxidant, and is thought to relax blood vessels, stimulate blood flow and relieve pain. It is a common digestive aid and useful for people suffering the side effects of chemotherapy. Its anti-inflammatory abilities make it useful in fighting heart disease, cancer, Alzheimer's disease, and arthritis.

Oregano – Thymol and carvacrol are two of oregano's potent antibacterial properties. A study in Mexico found oregano to be more effective against an amoeba than a common prescription drug called tinidazol. Oregano works in the intestinal tract to kill unfriendly bacteria without damage to the friendly bacteria. It is effective against candida albicans overgrowth throughout the body, and particularly in the sinus cavities. It has 4 times the antioxidant activity of blueberries.

Rosemary – In winter, a rosemary bush inside the house acts as a natural air cleaner and freshener, along with being a source for the herb to use in cooking. Rosemary stops gene mutations that could lead to cancer, and may help prevent damage to the blood vessels, thereby reducing heart attack risk.

Turmeric – This bright yellow spice of Indian cuisine is one of nature's most powerful healers. It is a potent anti-inflammatory that acts as effectively as drugs like hydrocortisone, phenylbutazone and Motrin. It is helpful with inflammatory bowel diseases, Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis, rheumatoid arthritis, cystic fibrosis, cancer and Alzheimer's disease. Recent research shows it as positive for cardiovascular and liver protection.

When combined with cruciferous vegetables, turmeric has shown to prevent prostate cancer and stop the growth of existing prostate tumors. It prevented breast cancer from spreading to the lungs in mice. It may prevent melanoma and cause existing melanoma cells to die. Turmeric may also prevent metastasis from occurring in many different forms of cancer.

Turmeric has been shown to reduce the risk of childhood leukemia, and shows promise in slowing the progression of multiple sclerosis. It is a natural liver detoxifier and one of nature's most effective pain relievers through inhibition of COX-2.

Garlic – This wonder drug of nature destroys cancer cells and may disrupt the metabolism of tumor cells. Studies show that two cloves of garlic weekly provide cancer-protective benefits. A recent study showed that eating garlic boosts the body's supply of hydrogen sulfide, which acts as an antioxidant and transmits cellular signals that relax blood vessels and increase blood flow.

In another recent study, researchers extracted juice from supermarket garlic and added small amounts to human red blood cells. The cells immediately began emitting hydrogen sulfide. This ability to increase hydrogen sulfide production may explain why a garlic rich diet is so protective against various cancers, including breast, prostate and colon cancer. It may also explain why garlic appears to protect the heart. A recent study found that injecting hydrogen sulfide into mice almost completely prevented the damage to heart muscle caused by a heart attack.

Garlic has a reputation as preventative and treatment for the common cold. It's used to treat the symptoms of acne and there is evidence that it can assist in managing high cholesterol levels. It even appears to be a natural mosquito repellent.

Sage – This herb contains flavonoids, phenolic acids and oxygen handling enzymes. This results in its ability to prevent oxygen-based damage to cells. Sage may fight rheumatoid arthritis, bronchial asthma and atherosclerosis. It appears to promote better brain function. A study showed that people given sage essential oil had significantly improved recall abilities compared to those given a placebo.

Red chili peppers – These peppers contain capsaicin, a powerful anti-inflammatory compound that helps relieve pain. They ease congestion and clear mucus from the lungs and nose, boost immunity, prevent stomach ulcers by killing bacteria, assist in weight loss, reduce blood cholesterol, manage triglyceride levels, and prevent cancer including stomach cancer.

Coriander – This herb is effective against swelling, high cholesterol levels, diarrhea, mouth ulcers, anemia, digestion, menstrual disorders, conjunctivitis, and skin disorders. It is antioxidant rich and contains vitamins A and C, and minerals. It is protective of the eye by preventing macular degeneration and soothing the eye against stress. It has a stimulating effect on the endocrine system which in turn stimulates the production of insulin, resulting in increased insulin in the blood to aid in proper assimilation and absorption of sugar and lower the sugar level in the blood.

Parsley – Chief among the abilities of parsley is cancer fighting. Animal studies have shown that parsley inhibits tumor formation, particularly in the lungs. It neutralizes carcinogens including those found in cigarette smoke. It is a good source of antioxidants and heart-healthy nutrients such as beta-carotene, folic acid, and vitamins A and C.

Sources:

"Health Benefits of Coriander," Organic Facts.

"Spice of Life: Health Benefits of Spices and Herbs," Mind, Body and Spirit Fitness.

Howard Dratch, "Spice Up Your Life: The Health Benefits of Spices," BC Sci/Tech.

"20 Health Benefits of Turmeric," Eat This.

Tara Parker-Pope, "Unlocking the Benefits of Garlic," The New York Times, October 15, 2007.


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The Medicinal Building Blocks of Plant Life

NaturalNews.com

by Neil McLaughlin

While most have heard of vitamins and minerals, there are 14 other categories of active plant components and they also offer medicinal benefits. Becoming familiar with all of these elements is essential for understanding their benefits and combinatorial effects. This article summarizes the 16 active constituents found in plants.

1) Minerals - Minerals are essential trace elements such as Copper and Magnesium. They are the simplest form of matter: basic elements found in the Periodic table. The best raw sources include Blueberries, Almonds, Broccoli and Cauliflower.

2) Vitamins - Vitamins are essential molecules required in order for cells to function properly. Without ingesting all vitamins we will suffer disease and die. Lack of Vitamin C (Ascorbic Acid), found in citrus fruits, causes Scurvy for example. Some plants contain more vitamins than others, but all plants contain at least trace amounts of vitamins, often playing synergistic roles with other elements found in the plant. The best sources of vitamins include raw Spinach, Beans, Oranges, Carrots and Apples.

3) Tannins - This element should be familiar to wine drinkers, and especially those who cannot drink wine as tannins can cause headaches. Produced by all plants, tannins are the harsh, astringent taste of bark and leaves designed to repel some life forms, namely insect pests. They are used to "tan" leather. They cause contraction of tissues, whether a saddle or your tongue. The best sources of tannins include Pomegranates, Grapes and Persimmon.

4) Flavonoids - Found in a wide variety of plants, flavonoids are anti-inflammatory components that have useful actions, mainly serving to improve circulation. The best sources of flavonoids include Citrus juice like Lemon, Lime and Grapefruit.

5) Volatile Oils - One of the most important medicinal aspects of plants, volatile (or essential) oils offer the main fragrant element and are used for aromatherapy. Different fragrances have vastly different effects on mood. Volatile oils are strongly antiseptic and normally have anti-inflammatory properties. The best sources of volatile oils include Tea tree, Peppermint, Lavender and Sandalwood.

6) Mucilage - Mucilage is a component of many plants that contains polysaccharides (large sugar molecules) that retain water to produce a jelly like mass that offers soothing effects on skin in the mouth, throat, digestive tract and even extends to the lungs and other organs. The best sources of mucilage include Mullein, Aloe Vera and Psyllium seed husks.

7) Alkaloids - The most active ingredient, these (normally nitrogen bearing) molecules have various medicinal and even cancer fighting effects on the body. The best sources of (healthy) alkaloids include Garlic and Onions.

8) Bitters - An essential food group (and one of the five flavors we sense, including sweet, salty, sour and umami), bitters have largely been factored out of our diets. Bitterness however is key to digestion as it causes the secretion of important salivary enzymes that nourish and strengthen the body. Swedish Bitters is a great way to get all of your bitters in one shot. The best sources of bitters include Coffee beans, Dandelion, and Aloe vera.

9) Phenols - Also called Salicylates, Phenols are a component of many compounds that include salicylic acid (the organic form of Aspirin). Phenols are antiseptic and anti-inflammatory components that actually have an irritant effect when applied directly to the skin. The best sources of phenols are dark berries like Raspberries, Blueberries, Cranberries and Goji berries.

10) Saponins - A group of two expectorant elements that induce hormonal activity, saponins (including triterpenoid and steroidal) have similarity to the human body's own naturally occurring hormones. The best sources of saponins include Licorice, Peas and Soybeans.

11) Coumarins - Found in many plants, coumarins offer widely divergent strengthening mechanisms including sunscreen protection, blood thinning and muscle relaxant action. The best sources of coumarins include Mullein, Vanilla grass and Tonka bean.

12) Glucosilinates - Glucosilinates have irritant effects, causing inflammation and blistering. They are used to increase blood flow to an affected area, helping facilitate waste removal and joint problems and reducing thyroid function. Glucosilinates are found exlusively in the Mustard family that includes Radish, yellow mustard seed and brown mustard seed.

13) Anthraquinones - These natural laxative components (found in Senna, Cascara Sagrada and Chinese Rhubarb) relieve constipation, having an irritant effect on the large intestine that causes peristaltic action. They are also natural stool softeners. The best sources of anthraquinones are Senna, Aloe Vera and Chinese Rhubarb.

14) Anthocyanins - These are the pigments that give fruits and flowers their blue, purple or red hue, and they help keep blood vessels healthy. The best sources of anthocyanins include Grapes, Blackberries and Rainforest herbs like Samambaia.

15) Cardiac Glycosides - These natural diuretics have strong, direct action on the heart, strengthening the rate of contraction when it is failing. They improve the circulatory system and urinary tract while lowering blood pressure. The best sources of cardiac glycosides include Yellow Foxglove, Woolly Foxglove and Common Foxglove.

16) Cyanogenic Glycosides - Though based on the poison cyanide, these have a helpful sedative effect on the heart and muscles in small doses. Cyanogenic glycosides are used to suppress and sooth a dry cough caused by irritants. The best sources of cyanogenic glycosides include Wild Cherry Bark and Elder flowers.

As you can see, there are many other important elements besides vitamins and minerals and while they have powerful health benefits themselves, they just don't sound the same on a cereal box. A balanced diet ideally will includes all of these substances.

References:

The Encyclopedia of Medicinal Plants - Dorling Kindersley and Andrew Chevallier (page 14-15 has pictures of all of these components).

Naturopathy Wiki((http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naturopath...)

MRSA Superbug Invades Public Schools as Conventional Medicine Ignores Natural Cures

NaturalNews.com

by Mike Adams

Schools in at least eight states have reported confirmed cases of students being infected with the "superbug" known as methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) following the death of a 17-year old Virginia student late last year, and the deaths of a New Hampshire preschooler and an 11-year-old from Mississippi a week earlier. MRSA, it seems, is taking hold in the U.S. population.

In addition to the cases in those states, schools in North Carolina, West Virginia and Connecticut have reported infections among their students, and a high school district in Tucson, Arizona sent a letter home to parents advising them that one student had been infected and another suspected case was awaiting confirmation. In Chicago, officials at Naperville High School did not become aware that there had been two cases of MRSA among football players there in the previous month until an athletic trainer learned of the incidents and reported them to the administration.

MRSA is a strain of the common bacterium that causes "staph" infections. While such infections are normally easy to treat with a variety of antibiotics, MRSA is resistant to these medications. MRSA is easily killed, of course, by natural medicines such as colloidal silver, aloe vera gel, garlic or any number of additional antibacterial medicines from Mother Nature, but doctors and hospitals don't use medicine from Mother Nature, so they suffer under the illusion that MRSA has "no cure" and can't be effectively treated. The limitations of antibiotic chemicals, it seems, have become the mental limitations of physicians, too.

What is MRSA?

MRSA was first identified in the United States in 1968. The staph bacteria, which occurs naturally on human skin and in nasal passages, can cause minor infections of the skin or other soft tissue if it enters an open wound. In rare cases, however, the bacteria becomes "invasive," colonizing another part of the body. In these cases, the staph bacteria can infect the bloodstream, urinary tract, lungs or other organs and lead to potentially fatal complications, including pneumonia or the state of whole-body inflammation known as sepsis. Even in less severe cases, a staph infection can lead to skin necrosis and the development of painful abscesses.

Staph infections can be spread by skin-to-skin contact or by sharing a towel with an infected person. This makes staph epidemics particularly likely in institutional settings like hospitals, prisons, nursing homes, sports facilities and schools. In schools, athletes are particularly at risk - the crowding and lack of hygiene in gyms and locker rooms provide a perfect breeding ground for MRSA.

"These situations set up the perfect scenario for the organism to invade the skin," said Dr. Pascal James Imperato, former commissioner of public health for New York City and chairman of the Department of Preventive Medicine at SUNY Downstate Medical Center. "In this setting, you have sweat and good exposure to skin. With youths who play football or lacrosse, the skin might also be cut or scraped, making the skin more vulnerable."

In response to the recent death of a student from MRSA, students in Bedford County, Virginia, demanded that their schools be sterilized. After students organized themselves over text messages and the internet to protest the unsanitary conditions at their schools - including taking the Bedford County Schools Superintendent on a tour of one high school to demonstrate the problem - the schools agreed to comply with their demands. All 21 schools in the county were closed, scrubbed and sanitized on October 17. Schools were also sanitized in Indiana and West Virginia, with a particular emphasis on locker rooms and gyms.

In Illinois, state officials are considering a recommendation that would specifically encourage health care officials to report any cluster of MRSA - defined as three or more cases - in an institutional setting. This rule is intended to alert health officials to any potential epidemics in the making, before the infection spreads too widely. The recommendation was prompted by the recognition that it took officials at Naperville High School weeks to learn about the two infections in their football team, and the fact that infections diagnosed at off-site health care facilities may never be reported to the school.

MRSA now killing more Americans than AIDS

Concern over MRSA infections has increased not only from the recent deaths of grade-school students, but also by a recent report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) that was published in the Journal of the American Medical Association. The report concluded that MRSA infection is far more common in the United States than previously thought, and that it kills more people yearly than AIDS, emphysema, Parkinson's disease or homicide.

The CDC calculated that deaths from MRSA in the United States may amount to nearly 19,000 people yearly, although the agency added that it can be hard to determine if death is caused directly by the disease or merely accelerated by it. The CDC estimated the infection rate at 32 per 100,000 people, making even the rate of invasive MRSA higher than the combined rate of other invasive bacterial conditions, including bloodstream infections, meningitis and flesh-eating strep.

While MRSA is still most common in hospital settings, it is becoming increasingly common outside the health-care world as well. "Now we know there's also a community-acquired strain of MRSA," Imperato said. "That doesn't mean that it hasn't always existed. It's just that now, we have become knowledgeable about it."

Imperato said that staying clean - whether that means health-care professionals washing hands or athletes showering immediately after exercise - is the best way to avoid spreading MRSA.

"Good old-fashioned cleanliness serves as the best barrier to these organisms," he said. "Just washing with ordinary soap and water is enough to remove any of the organisms that may have colonized in the skin."

Why conventional medicine is clueless to stop MRSA

Conventional medicine has not merely failed to stop MRSA, it has in fact accelerated the development of MRSA through rampant use of chemical antibiotics. This created the perfect environment in which MRSA superbugs could grow and escape outside the hospitals, into "the wild," as it's called by infectious disease experts.

Even worse, doctors and hospitals have so far refused to treat MRSA with anything that actually works. Instead of looking to Mother Nature, where cures for MRSA are as common as weeds (literally!), arrogant doctors and Western medical researchers continue to foolishly believe that only synthetic, patented chemical antibiotics have any use whatsoever, and that anything from nature couldn't possibly be of any help.

They also don't appear to show any interest whatsoever in the technology of colloidal silver, a substance that quickly kills not just MRSA, but ALL antibiotic-resistant infectious strains. A quick wipe-down of hospitals, schools and gyms with colloidal silver would halt these MRSA infections in their tracks. Colloidal silver can also be used topically, on MRSA skin infections, where it quickly kills bacteria without any negative side effects whatsoever. One source I recommend, by the way, is www.Silver100.com

Consider this for a moment: Every plant in the world grows its own antibacterial medicine. If it didn't, bacteria would eat it up within hours. This is especially true of the roots of plants, because roots have to survive the onslaught of soil bacteria (which are present in very high numbers unless the soil has been treated with chemical pesticides, of course). Roots, therefore, contain powerful antibacterial medicine.

Doctors don't like to admit Mother Nature has already developed this technology that continues to elude the "best and brightest minds" in modern medicine. What's at stake here, of course, is the ego and pride of the whole system of Western medicine. If doctors, hospitals and researchers have to admit that Mother Nature has already engineered thousands of different cures for MRSA, then it sort of makes doctors look stupid for a couple of reasons. One, it means that plants are better at making medicine than drug companies (which, of course, they are), and two, it means all the doctors who have been holding out for the next "wonder" drug while overlooking the simple, natural cures available in their back yard begin to look like irrational defenders of a nearly-useless system of pharmaceutical medicine (which, of course, they are as well).

So there's a mass delusion being played out by Western medicine today where doctors pretend natural medicine doesn't exist and thereby claim that MRSA has no cure. This is the fountain of stupidity from which our current MRSA problems have sprung. Instead of using what works, modern medical hacks are more interested in protecting their intellectual territory, thereby denying patients access to (or knowledge of) those things that could reduce suffering or even save their lives. And thus, the bewildered, fumbling "experts" of Western medicine continue the charade of looking for the next great antibiotic medicine that will finally conquer MRSA, even while cures for MRSA are so common that you can't take a walk in the woods or a city park without seeing hundreds or thousands of them. (Those trained in Western medicine are literally blind to nature.)

What they conveniently forget, of course, is the simple fact that clever MRSA bacteria will mutate a new resistance to the next billion dollar antibiotic medicine in about a day or so. And that means that all the self-proclaimed brilliance of Big Pharma's researchers and chemists can be outsmarted by a single-celled organism that doesn't even have half a brain.

Mother Nature's Total Immune Boosting Breakthroughs

By: Shane Ellison M. Sc.

Source: http://www.newswithviews.com

January 5, 2008

As a drug chemist, I used to fear going to work. I risked numerous health hazards – like being exposed to a cancer causing reagent and even losing my wedding ring to a chemical drain. Cancer is bad, but having your wife feel like you are being careless about your marriage is worse. Unknown to her, I was washing off DNA twisting molecules that burned my skin and eyes while they vacuumed the air from my lungs. My ring fell off somewhere between stripping off my clothes, pulling the lab’s evacuation button, and yanking the emergency shower cord. I naively assumed that these were necessary risks for making so-called life saving drugs. I was wrong.

Outside of emergency medicine, prescription drugs are just as deadly as the reagents used to make them. Antibiotics, antivirals and vaccines are a perfect example. Some would argue that this arsenal of anti-infectious agents is a cure. This is almost true. They make us feel better and can even save us from the perils of death in an emergency. But using them outside of an emergency can cause them to become a growth medium for producing stronger and deadlier infectious agents – think drug resistant Super Bugs like the flesh eating Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). Additionally, they can give rise to some nasty side effects – think depression, cancer, liver and kidney failure. Five year old Jennifer learned this the hard way.

Ten days after taking an antibiotic for an earache, Jennifer asked, “Why are my eyes yellow Mommy?” Cured from her earache, Jennifer lost her life to liver failure a few months later.

This is hardly a cure. Vaccines and antivirals are no different. To beat infectious disease and avoid the horrors (like MRSA) that often accompany the use of Western Medicine, Mother Nature’s total immune boosting breakthroughs are a wiser option.

As a pharmaceutical chemist, I employed Mother Nature as the guide for the design and synthesis of drugs. Logic and science – not pharmaceutical hype - dictates that we “go natural first.”

Prescription drugs only mimic a single isolate and rely on a single mechanism of action for effectiveness. Their non-toxic, plant based predecessors contain a multitude of active substances. And instead of depending on one single method of protecting the body, they work in unison to increase the power of the whole immune system. This is the “adaptogenic effect.”

Whether you are fighting flu, getting over whooping cough, or warding off the next Super Bug, adaptogens are your key to beating them! They are so potent in fact, that Big Pharma has been attempting to make counterfeits in their top secret labs for over 15 years!

Garlic is known as “the poor persons” antibiotic. I call it the smart person’s adaptogen. Not only will it help you live young, but it will also protect against a whole host of biological “nasties” – even tuberculosis. This “mycobacterial infection” manifests into chest pain, coughing blood, night sweats and premature death. A new infection of tuberculosis occurs at a rate of one per second among our population! Western Medicine contributes to this unwittingly by using antibiotics that actually teach the bacteria how to work around the body’s natural defenses – resulting in drug-resistant strains. Garlic is different. Thanks to its adoptogenic effects, the active ingredients confer super powers to the whole immune system, allowing it to eradicate “nasties” as they enter our system – and before they can replicate themselves into resistant strains. Garlic can be synergized with the adaptogen andrographis.

Andrographis was first used for its success in treating snakebites and overcoming malaria and dysentery. It is considered to be especially effective in clearing heat from the body and blood and is commonly used in treating heart conditions which include infection in the lungs, urinary tract, and throat – think strep throat. Within the halls of Big Pharma, modern research has proven andrographis to be beneficial at removing blood clots, stopping the spread of multiple types of cancer, and increasing the amount of immune enhancing white blood cells. Its active ingredients have been identified as andrographolides. The Journal of Ethnopharmacology recently showed andrographis to be more effective than the well known astragalus and echinichea for warding off the flu. [1]

I no longer fear going to work. Since tendering my resignation as a corporate drug cook, I don’t face the hazards associated with deadly reagents (and have since acquired a new wedding ring). I chose the natural route for health and if you do the same, you’ll no longer have to fear biological nasties. Nor will you have to default to using Western Medicine’s arsenal of toxic counterfeits.


References:

1. Han-Chieh Koa, Bai-Luh Weib and Wen-Fei Chiou. The effect of medicinal plants used in Chinese folk medicine on RANTES secretion by virus-infected human epithelial cells. Journal of Ethnopharmacology . Volume 107, Issue 2, 19 September 2006, Pages 205-210

© 2008 Shane Ellison - All Rights Reserved