Super Spices
Did you know that a few different everyday spices can yield BIG results for your health and overall immunity? Not only do they aid in immunity functions, but they also contain active ingredients that help fight many common chronic diseases. The natural properties in the spices below are naturally helpful to fighting off harmful pathogens. So without much fluff, let’s get into it!
Garlic: Garlic is like a little defense soldier to your body! It’s been around for ages as a useful medicine to aid in “cardiovascular diseases in ancient times.” It also has anti-inflammatory, gastroprotective and anti-cancer properties due to the presence of “phytochemicals such as diallyl sulfides, diallyl disulfides, ajoene, allicin, alliin, diallyl trisulfide, S-allylcysteine, methiin, isoalliin, cycloalliin, S-allylmercaptocysteine (NCBI).” The active ingredient Allicin alone helps fight against Alzheimer's disease, chronic kidney disease, gastric cancers, type 1 diabetes, and hypercholesterolemia. It’s immunity features consist of helping heal common colds, and a high dosage can be linked to protect against heavy metal toxicity. Basically, garlic tastes amazing and is SO good for you… so eat up!
Turmeric: Tumeric is famous for turning anything golden colored. In fact, using it is a face mask before your wedding will indeed turn your face orange. Yep, that is something I’ve learned from personal experience. Other than turning kitchen utensils, skin, and nails yellow, it’s also famous for a plethora of health benefits— which are many! Curcumin is the main active ingredient in turmeric that helps in the defense of many chronic diseases and gives it the iconic yellow color. Curcumin alone provides a host of chronic disease defenses. These include: Alziemers disease, asthma, cancer, COPD, colitis, diabetes, epilepsy, gastric ulcers, hepatitis, irritable bowl syndrome, lupus, and a host of others. Besides curcumin, the other active components of turmeric are “demethoxycurcumin, bisdemethoxycurcumin, sesquiterpenes, diterpenes, triterpenoids.”(NCBI) Turmeric is also known for its “anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, insecticidal, antimutagenic, radioprotective, and anticancer properties” as well as boosting antioxidants and killing free radicals.(NCBI) Over “ten thousand studies” have been reported in the literature about the biological activities of this compound “including more than 120 clinical trials.”(NCBI)
Ginger: Ginger is reported to have biological properties such as “antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and antiproliferative properties.”(NCBI) The major active component of ginger is 6-gingerol which helps fight against alxheimers disease, colorectal cancers, diabetes, and osteoporosis. Immunity benefits also exist such as killing off cold viruses and preventing nausea. Other than 6-gingerol, ginger also contains “6-paradol, 6-gingerdiol, gingerdione, shogoal, zingiberene, citral (neral and geranial), bisabolene, cineol, α-farnesene, β-phellandrene, zingerone.”(NCBI) My favorite way to ingest ginger is to have ginger-turmeric tea! I get mine from Trader Joes and it is perfect for a nighttime treat to calm and nourish my body.
Cinnamon: Cinnamon fights against arthritis, alziemers disease, colitis, diabetes, hyperglycemia, inflammatory disorders, melanoma, and parkinsons disease. “Cinnamon contains the active ingredients of: “cinnamaldehyde, cinnamyl acetate, cineole, coumarin, ethyl cinnamate, linalool, humulene, β-caryophyllene, τ-cadinol.”(NCBI) Linalool alone fights against diabetes, sin cancer, leukemia, cervical cancer, and colon cancer. Cinnamon is also an immune booster and repels infections. Tip: a teaspoon of honey and 1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon will usually help knock out a cold within 3 days!! Just take a spoonful in your mouth and swallow — do this for twice a day until symptoms subside!
Cayenne Pepper: Red pepper contains capsaicin, β-carotene, zeaxanthin, lutein, caffeic acid and capsanthin.”(NCBI) The active ingredient capsaicin helps fight against colon cancer, gastrointestinal disorders, lung cancer, pancreatitis, bladder cancer, and alzheimer’s disease. Cayenne Pepper is also flu-repelling and clears out gastrointesinal pathogens. You can find cayenne pepper in many immunity shots in grocery stores, which will account for the VERY spicy after-taste!
Black Pepper: Black pepper is widely known for its "immunomodulatory, anti-oxidant, anti-asthmatic, anti-carcinogenic, anti-inflammatory and anti-ulcer properties.”(NCBI) Other than its main component piperine, black pepper also contains “β-caryophyllene, limonene, δ-3-carene, α-pinene, β-pinene, α-phellandrene, myrcene, and terpinolene.”(NCBI) Piperine fights against asthma, breast cancer, depression, endometrits, gastric cancers, parkinsons disease, alzheimer’s diesase, and arthritis. α-Pinene, specifically, helps fight against arthritis and acute pancreatitis while limonene prevents asthma, breast cancer, colitis, colorectal cancer, and skin cancer. Black pepper is also an immune booster! For these reasons, I would add pepper to as many foods as you can!
Overall, these spices have great medicinal properties and can influence the body in amazing ways! I have personally loved knowing all the positive ways these spices affect my body, not only to add flavor but also to yield a great investment to my overall health. You, too, can benefit from this knowledge and know with certainty that it is from a reliable source. Now go out there and live intentional, whole lives worthy of your calling!
This summary was sourced from my nutrition degree and the following scholarly article: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5785894/
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