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There are a variety of herbs and spices that have multiple health benefits, including anti-inflammatory properties, cognitive boosters, and some that may even help fight cancer, to name a few. Turmeric, peppermint, ginger, garlic, and a variety of other herbs and spices are among them.
What is a spice?
A spice is a seed, fruit, root, bark, or other plant material that is used to taste or color food. Herbs, on the other hand, are the leaves, blossoms, or stems of plants that are used for seasoning or garnishing. Spices are sometimes used in medicine, religious rites, cosmetics, and perfumery.
Spice seeds are the tiny aromatic fruits and oil-bearing seeds of herbaceous plants such as anise, caraway, cumin, fennel, poppy, and sesame. Herbs are the fresh or dried aromatic leaves of such plants as marjoram, mint, rosemary, and thyme. Spices, spice seeds, and herbs are used as food additives to add flavor, aroma, and piquancy. They have minimal nutritional value in the modest amounts required to produce culinary meals, but they increase hunger, add zest to food, and enhance flavors.
Spices and herbs are portions of plants that are grown for their fragrant, spicy, or other desired properties. Rhizomes, bulbs, barks, flower buds, stigmas, fruits, seeds, and leaves are all used to make spices and herbs. Spices, spice seeds, and herbs are the three most prevalent classifications.
Although some spices, such as chile peppers and ginger, are used both fresh and dried, spices are most commonly used dry. Some traditionally dried spices are used fresh in the countries where they are grown. Many of the world’s most coveted spices, including cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, ginger, and pepper, are aromatic or spicy plant products grown in tropical and subtropical climates.
Types of spices
There are so many different types of spices, but they are generally classified into two based on how they are produced. These classifications; are organic spices and inorganic spices.
Organic spices
Organic herbs and spices are not irradiated, do not contain synthetic caking agents or chemical additions, and are not farmed with pesticides or genetically engineered components (GMOs). From seed to plate, be rest assured that they are kept to the greatest standards.
Are organic spices better?
Spices grown organically are fresher than those grown with the use of chemicals and pesticides. Preservatives are present in these spices in extremely small amounts, if at all. As a result, they are always excellent for your health and, when prepared, taste fantastic.
Inorganic spices
Inorganic herbs and spices are loaded with chemicals by the time they hit your plate. Inorganic spices imply the use of various fertilizers, pesticides, and other agrochemicals whose main job is to improve yield and get rid of any pests that are attacking the crop. Heavy use of agrochemicals strips spices of nutrients, leaving them compromised. Some manufacturers even use MSG as filler material to boost their yield.
Examples of spices
There are so many different spices in the world and in Africa, local to you and foreign as well. Here are some examples of spices you would easily find in your pantry:
- Nutmeg
- Ginger
- Garlic
- Red chili peppers
- Cumin
- Cinnamon
- Onions
- Cayenne pepper
- Coriander
- Celery seeds
- Caraway seeds
- Cardamom
- Dill
- Frankincense
- Fennel
- Horseradish
- Paprika
- Peppercorns
- Saffron
- Sesame
- Savory
- Clove
- Black pepper
Uses of spices
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Use of spices in perfumery
Deep, rich scents that move the soul and awaken the taste are common in spicy scents. The pungent, rich fragrances of cinnamon, pepper, chai, patchouli, cloves, and ginger inspire visions of chilly autumn days warmed by cups of tea, turkey dinners, and pumpkin pies, and these perfumes function best in the winter.
Perfumers distinguish between two types of spices in perfumery: warm and cool spices. Cinnamon, saffron, and chili pepper are examples of warm spices. Ginger, coriander, and cardamom are common cold spices. Pepper and spices are very popular in perfumery because they add a warm, sensual element to the scent. The choices are unlimited when it comes to combining floral, gourmet, fruity, and other olfactory families.
2. Uses of spices in aromatherapy
Aromatherapy is a holistic healing technique that promotes health and well-being by using natural plant extracts. It’s also known as an essential oil treatment. Aromatherapy is a type of medicine that uses aromatic essential oils to promote the health of the body, mind, and soul. It improves both physical and mental well-being. Spices and herbs are used to make these essential oils.
3. Medicinal uses of spices
There are several medicinal uses of spices in our daily life, many spices are used in the kitchen and have certain medicinal activities like purgative, laxative, expectorant, carminative, diuretic, etc.
For more on natural spices and herbs, nutritional value, and health benefits, check out this article on the African Food Network, click the link below:
Natural African spices to incorporate into your daily meal
Now to the topic of the day, here is everything you need to know about ginger and garlic and why they are the next item to add to your pantry and daily meals to level up your health.
Garlic
Garlic (Allium sativum) is a bulbous blooming plant belonging to the Allium genus of onions. Onion, shallot, leek, chive, Welsh onion, and Chinese onion are near relatives. It’s native to Central Asia and northeastern Iran, and it’s been used as a seasoning for thousands of years over the world. It was utilized as a food flavoring as well as a traditional remedy by the ancient Egyptians.
Garlic clove
Fresh garlic is usually sold in bulb-like heads that are covered in whiteish papery skin. When you peel back the outer layer of papery skin, you’ll notice that one bulb is made up of several separate lobes, each of which is also coated in papery skin. Each segment of a garlic bulb is called a clove. There are about 10–20 cloves in a single bulb, give or take.
Nutritional facts of garlic
One raw clove (3g) has 4.5 calories, 0.2 grams of protein, 1 gram of carbs, and 0 grams of fat. Vitamin C, zinc, and calcium are all abundant in garlic.
The USDA has provided the following nutritional information.
- Calories: 5
- Fat: 0g
- Sodium: 5mg
- Carbohydrates: 1g
- Fiber: 1g
- Sugars: 0g
- Protein: 2g
- Vitamin C: 0.9mg
- Zinc: 0.04mcg
This spice has neither fat nor protein. Its calories come from carbohydrates, but the serving size and calories are so low, so are the carbs it contains.
This spice contains several vitamins and minerals, although a single clove doesn’t provide much due to the small serving size. Each clove contains a small amount of vitamin C, zinc, calcium, iron, potassium, magnesium, vitamin E, vitamin K, and manganese, according to the USDA.
Health Benefits of Garlic
Garlic may help lower blood pressure
A handful of cloves a day could help you avoid a trip to the cardiologist. “it increases the production of nitric oxide, which dilates blood arteries, while also inhibiting the activity of the angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE).” (ACE inhibitors aid in the relaxation of blood arteries). This may help to maintain normal blood flow and pressure.
Garlic has anti-inflammatory properties:
The potential of both ginger and garlic to reduce inflammation is one of their most well-known advantages. Although the body’s inflammatory response is crucial for keeping you healthy, chronic inflammation is connected to the advancement of many diseases, including heart disease and certain malignancies. Anti-inflammatory plant components found in garlic and ginger may help block pro-inflammatory proteins linked to chronic inflammation. Different forms of anti-inflammatory organosulfur chemicals are found in different garlic preparations.
The beneficial health effects of garlic are attributed to the organosulfur compounds found in crushed cloves. The principal organosulfur compound in intact cloves is (+) S-allyl-L-cysteine sulfoxide (alliin) which is compartmentalized away from the vacuolar enzyme alliinase (EC 4.4.1.3).
Upon damaging of the clove (i.e. by chewing or crushing), alliinase comes into contact with its substrate and an elimination reaction ensues to form 2-propenesulfenic acid, which self-condenses to form diallyl thiosulfinate (allicin).
Allicin (diallylthiosulfinate) is a defense molecule from garlic (Allium sativum L.) with a broad range of biological activities. Allicin is produced upon tissue damage from the non-proteinogenic amino acid alliin (S-allylcysteine sulfoxide) in a reaction that is catalyzed by the enzyme alliinase.
Garlic may lower blood lipids
Garlic has been demonstrated to reduce cholesterol levels in the blood. Patients with diabetes who were given a mixture of olive oil and garlic were able to control their cholesterol and triglyceride levels. Garlic powder or non-powdered form dosed over one to three months had these results. Garlic eating increased HDL (good cholesterol) while lowering LDL (bad cholesterol) and total cholesterol levels after four months.
It helps boost immune function
Garlic can increase the number of virus-fighting T-cells in your bloodstream, which is significant because viruses cause colds and flu. In 2012, nutrition scientists from the University of Florida published a study in the journal Clinical Nutrition that found that taking aged garlic extract reduced the intensity of cold and flu symptoms and that individuals who took it recovered faster than those who didn’t. Its extract, according to the researchers, boosted the immune cell function of the subjects.
While there isn’t enough data to show that garlic can prevent or treat the common cold, it can help your body’s defense mechanisms in a variety of ways.
For one, the allicin in garlic provides antibacterial properties. Scientists also believe that garlic has antiviral properties that may work in two ways: by blocking the entry of viruses into cells, and by strengthening the immune response so that it can effectively fight off potential invaders. It’s these things that can help support a healthy immune system overall.
It helps fight against cellular damage
Oxidative stress occurs when your body’s defenses are overwhelmed by an excess of molecules known as reactive oxygen species (ROS). Antioxidant enzymes like superoxide dismutase and glutathione peroxidase are part of the body’s antioxidant defense system. These aid in maintaining a healthy amount of ROS.
When this mechanism is overworked, oxidative stress develops, resulting in cellular damage. Garlic and ginger have been shown in studies to help lower oxidative stress markers, such as the highly reactive and harmful chemical malondialdehyde.
It may reduce blood clotting
Another advantage for heart health: Garlic (and onion) compounds have been proven to reduce platelet stickiness and have anti-clotting abilities. These factors may help prevent atherosclerosis, a condition in which plaque buildup causes arteries to harden and narrow. According to the National Heart, Blood, and Lung Institute, atherosclerosis raises the risk of blood clots, which can lead to heart attacks or strokes. Of course, consuming garlic isn’t the only way to protect your arteries.
The National Heart, Blood, and Lung Institute suggests eating a heart-healthy diet, exercising regularly, managing your weight, and quitting smoking.
Garlic possesses anti-cancer properties
A diet high in garlic and ginger may help protect against certain types of cancer, according to some studies. This could be owing to their high levels of anti-inflammatory and antioxidant chemicals, which assist to protect cells from damage.
Ginger has been shown in numerous test tube and animal experiments to have anticancer properties against a variety of cancer cells, including:
- Pancreatic cancer cells.
- Prostate cancer cells.
- Breast cancer cells.
Although these findings are promising, ginger and garlic are not a substitute for cancer treatment. If you have cancer, only use garlic and ginger supplements if your doctor has given you the okay.
Ginger
Zingiber officinale is a flowering plant whose rhizome, often known as ginger root or ginger, is widely used as a spice and folk medicine. It’s a herbaceous perennial with one-meter-tall annual pseudostems (false stems consisting of curled leaf bases) bearing narrow leaf blades and flowers with pale yellow petals and purple margins bloom in inflorescences that sprout from the rhizome on independent branches.
It is a tropical flowering plant native to Southeast Asia, although it is now widely available from producers all over the world. It belongs to the Zingiberaceae family, which makes it a close relative of turmeric.
Ginger root
This is a whole food spice made from plants that are used to treat a variety of ailments ranging from gastrointestinal distress to cancer. It comes from the root of the plant Zingiber officinale.
It can be consumed raw, dried, and preserved as a spice, or processed into tablets, capsules, and liquid extracts. The root contains about 2% essential oil, which is utilized as a fragrance in soaps and cosmetics goods in the cosmetic sector.
When the Covid-19 scare started in Africa, everyone went into a frenzy. And the good ol’ ginger became a necessity because of its said nutritional components.
Origin
This spice originated from an Island in Southeast Asia. It is a true cultigen (a plant species or variety known only in cultivation) and does not exist in its wild state. The most ancient evidence of its domestication is among the Austronesian peoples where it was among several species of ginger cultivated and exploited since ancient times.
They cultivated other gingers including turmeric (Curcuma longa), white turmeric (Curcuma zedoaria), and bitter ginger (Zingiber zerumbet). The rhizomes and the leaves were used to flavor food or eaten directly. The leaves were also used to weave mats. Aside from these uses, this spice had religious significance among Austronesians.
Nutritional Facts
1 tablespoon of fresh ginger contains:
- 8 calories
- 07 grams (g) of carbohydrate
- 12 g of dietary fiber
- 11 g of protein
- 05 g fat
- 1 g of sugar
- Vitamin B3 and B6
- Iron
- Potassium
- Vitamin C
- Magnesium
- Phosphorus
- Zinc
- Folate
- Riboflavin
- Niacin
This spice contains about 400 chemical compounds, but gingerol molecules are thought to be the ones responsible for the root’s health effects. They’re also in charge of the scent and flavor. Gingerol is a potent antioxidant and anti-inflammatory that can benefit the body in a number of ways.
Health benefits
It reduces the risk of diabetes
Some active components in ginger have been related to improvements in insulin and metabolism, according to research. If you’re at risk for diabetes, though, adding more sugar to sugary gingerbread cookies won’t help! For smoothies, veggie-based stir-fries, and soups, keep both dried and fresh ginger on hand. While some chemical components in ginger may degrade with age, the drying process boosts others.
It reduces inflammation
Rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis patients sometimes use ginger as a supplement (two painful conditions causing joint damage). Because ginger is an anti-inflammatory, it may help to relieve joint discomfort caused by arthritic inflammation. People with knee osteoarthritis who took ginger extract had less discomfort and needed less pain medication, according to an older study. However, due to the higher dosage of ginger extract, they did report some slight gastrointestinal distress.
It calms down stomach upset
The idea that it helps with some light tummy trouble isn’t new. In fact, research has linked multiple digestive benefits to ginger, specifically acting on parts of your GI tract responsible for feelings of nausea, stomach upset, and vomiting. It may also help move food from the stomach to the small intestine for digestion and absorption. That said, ginger cannot prevent food poisoning or counteract ingestion of a harmful substance, so contact your physician ASAP if something requires urgent medical attention.
It is a natural menstrual pain reliever
The findings of all the studies done on ginger’s pain-relieving abilities suggest that it helps the most with menstruation discomfort. During that time of the month, ginger tea can also help with nausea. It may not work as effectively if you normally use acetaminophen or ibuprofen. Before taking any supplement, whether in the form of an extract or a tablet, see your doctor because it may interact with other medications you’re taking.
It reduces the risk of cancer
The root has the potential to be a potent cancer-fighting weapon. Researchers have discovered evidence that gingerol (a component of ginger) has anti-cancer properties. It could, for example, help prevent and treat gastrointestinal malignancies. Its strong antioxidant concentration is most likely to blame for its ability to inhibit cancer cell development. Its antioxidants may possibly aid to slow down the aging process.
It may prevent heart disease
Its anti-inflammatory properties can also help to lower the risk of chronic disease. A 2019 analysis indicated that ginger can lower blood pressure and lower blood lipids (fats), both of which can help prevent heart disease, and a 2016 evaluation connected regular ginger consumption to lower cholesterol and blood sugar levels when compared to a placebo.
However, just like diabetes, this spice cannot compensate for a diet heavy in saturated fat and added sugar. To lower your risk, you’ll need to eat more vegetables, 100 percent whole grains, lean proteins, seafood, lentils, and beans.
