|
-
Spices can enhance the flavor of your food, and they can boost your health as well. |
SPICES that give food
For example, ginger is popular in Asian cooking for its flavor, and research shows it has powerful anti-nausea effects, useful for pregnant women and people with motion sickness. Other examples include thyme oil, which can be diluted and used as a mosquito repellant.
Spices such as turmeric, peppermint, chili peppers, horseradish, sage, fennel and garlic have medicinal uses, too. And dark chocolate, the so-called "food of the gods," may help reduce blood pressure.
"Spices, more than
distinction between food and medicine," said Weil's colleague Dr. Tieraona Low Dog.
The two physicians spoke at the Nutrition and Health Conference in Chicago this month. Cooking with spices makes food healthier, Low Dog said.
"You'll find you use much less salt, you use much less fat in your cooking," she said. "They have no calories, [and] they add a delicious flavor and aroma."
And, they can make you feel better.
FIGHTING NAUSEA
Ginger, for example, not only neutralizes fishy odors in seafood, but is also potent against nausea.
Low Dog said studies show dried ginger works better than a placebo and is equal to other drugs used to treat severe nausea and vomiting in pregnancy, and in people taking the chemotherapy drug cisplatin.
Dried ginger also has anti-inflammatory properties. And fresh ginger may help improve circulation and stimulate the immune system and digestion.
But, too much ginger of any kind can cause heartburn, warned Low Dog.
CURRY FOR PAIN
Turmeric is another powerful spice. Weil pointed out that most Americans know turmeric only as the spice that makes American mustard yellow. It also colors curry powder.
"In India, turmeric is eaten at every meal. It's rubbed on newborn babies, onto the skin," Weil said.
Science shows turmeric is a powerful anti-inflammatory, useful as an adjunct treatment for Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis. When combined with ginger, turmeric can be used to reduce the need for ibuprofen and other painkillers.
"Add a level teaspoon [of turmeric] to stews and bean dishes," advised Weil.
Low Dog said turmeric has also been shown to reduce polyps in a certain kind of hereditary colon cancer.
MINTS FOR DIGESTION
A more familiar herb, peppermint, is powerful against severe diarrhea from irritable bowel syndrome.
"Enteric-coated peppermint-oil tablets are extremely effective for this," Low Dog said.
Weil said peppermint works by relaxing the muscles of the digestive tract. It can also relax the stomach, which may ease heartburn.
HOT PEPPERS HELP WEIGHT
Hot chili peppers, Weil said, have been wrongly accused of causing heartburn, when the blame should go to greasy or other irritating food.
Chili peppers actually have been used to treat stomach irritation and ulcers.
"Many people talk about spicy food being irritating but chili pepper by itself can be very friendly to the digestive tract," Weil said.
Also, chili peppers contain capsaicin, which can increase metabolism and "may be an adjunct to weight loss," Weil said.
Low Dog recommended chili peppers for people with sinusitis, since they get the nose running.
HORSERADISH FOR NOSES
Also for sinuses, Weil recommends seasoning food with horseradish. You can buy fresh horseradish roots, peel them with a potato peeler and grind them in a food processor with a little white vinegar and salt
"Whew, it is something--for nasal congestion, clogged anything, and just for a great general rush," Weil said. "There's nothing like it. It makes commercial horseradish in jars look like nothing."
SAGE FOR SORE THROATS
If you have a sore throat, try gargling sage tea with salt, advised Low Dog.
Sage, an herb named for wisdom, may also aid mood and cognition and is being studied in people with Alzheimer's disease, she said.
FIGHT GAS WITH FENNEL
Fennel seeds are another common medicinal spice. Many Indian restaurants serve candy-coated fennel seeds after dinner. The licorice-flavored seeds help digestion and gas, Weil said. Fennel tea syrup is also helpful for colicky children, advised Low Dog.
Similarly, cinnamon helps ease bloating and gas, Low Dog said. It also has mild anti-nausea, anti-diarrhea effects. She said one-half teaspoon of cinnamon in applesauce can be given to children with diarrhea.
Studies of cinnamon and diabetes have shown mixed results. In doses up to 1 teaspoon a day, cinnamon has been shown to reduce insulin resistance and improve the menstrual cycle for women with polycystic ovarian syndrome.
Weil pointed out that only true Ceylon cinnamon has been studied as a medicine. The less expensive cassia cinnamon sold in most grocery stores has not been studied.
You can find true cinnamon at upscale stores or order it from Penzey's Spices, pen zeys.com or 800/741-7787.
GARLIC FIGHTS GERMS
Another spice, garlic, can kill some bacteria and yeasts.
"It's effective against most pathogens that cause diarrhea," Low Dog said.
Weil said garlic helps reduce yeast infections in people. (If you bake bread, do not add garlic to the raw bread dough, as it may kill the yeast and keep the bread from rising.)
A powerful compound in garlic, called allicin, is formed when raw garlic is crushed and exposed to air, Weil said.
When cooking, "mash [garlic] and let it sit for a few minutes before you add it to anything," Weil said.
Garlic can also be taken as a tea with lemon and honey, Low Dog said. This is a traditional home remedy for colds and flu.
Garlic makes most foods taste better, and it's nice to hear it may be healthy, too.
CHOCOLATE RELAXES
By far the food that most people like to hear is medicinal is chocolate. An ounce of plain dark chocolate a day, at least 70 percent cacao, "is at least as effective as a thiazide diuretic for bringing blood-pressure numbers down," Weil said, comparing it with a common prescription drug.
Unsweetened chocolate or cocoa powder can also be used with chili peppers to make Mexican mole sauces.
While spices have medicinal effects, they cannot replace professional advice, so be sure to discuss them with your health care provider. And bon appetit!
Jennifer Motl welcomes reader questions via her Web site, brighteat ing.com, or mailed to Nutrition, The Free Lance-Star, 616 Amelia St., Fredericksburg, Va. 22401.
|
Spices have a zesty history.
"Spices have had such an influence on our palate and flavor and culinary dishes over the years, but they've also had a very powerful role in medicine, exploration and economics," said Dr. Tieraona Low Dog. She said, for example, that peppercorns were once such an important form of currency that Attila the Hun ransacked Rome for 3,000 pounds of them. America was "discovered" by Europeans seeking shortcuts to India and the Spice Islands. And |
| Dr. Andrew Weil is something of a celebrity, with regular appearances on public television and in Prevention magazine. He has written many popular books, including "Natural Health, Natural Medicine." Trained as a botanist and a medical doctor, he directs the Program in Integrative Medicine at the University of Arizona.
Dr. Tieraona Low Dog was an herbalist before she became a physician. She is a professor at the University of Arizona and chairs the United States Pharmacopeia Dietary Supplements and Botanicals Expert Committee. |
Jennifer Motl is a registered dietitian. Formerly of Fredericksburg, she now |
