Six essential herbs you should have in your home

HERBS ARE the leaf part of a plant that is used in cooking. These can be used fresh or dried. Any other part of the plant, which is usually dried, is referred to as a spice. These include, for example, barks (cinnamon), berries (peppercorns), seeds (cumin), roots (turmeric), flowers (chamomile), buds (cloves) and stigmas of flowers (saffron).

Herbs are a fantastic way to add flavour and colour to any sort of dish or drink, whether sweet or savoury, without adding fat, salt or sugars. In addition to flavour and colour, they each also tend to have their own set of health-promoting properties.

Generally, fresh herbs are delicately flavoured, so if adding them to your cooking, do so in the last few minutes.

Consuming herbs may help to prevent and manage heart disease, cancer and diabetes. It may also help to reduce blood clots and provide anti-inflammatory and anti-tumour properties. Research is ongoing, but studies have shown that:

• Cayenne pepper – Capsaicin, the compound that gives cayenne peppers their signature spicy flavour, is linked to some health benefits when consumed in supplement form. Cayenne peppers are high in a number of nutrients, including vitamin C and provitamin A. In addition to capsaicin, cayenne peppers contain other beneficial compounds, including carotenoids and flavonoids, which have anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties.

• Activated Charcoal– Activated charcoal is often used to treat poisoning or overdose and may also treat diarrhea and lower cholesterol. Many people use it as a home remedy for various concerns, but little scientific evidence supports its other suggested benefits. Activated charcoal is a black, odourless, flavourless powder that has been used since ancient times to treat various ailments. Nowadays, it is most commonly utilised in medical settings to treat drug overdoses or as an emergency anti-poison remedy.

Activated charcoal is thought to offer several other benefits, including less gas and flatulence, lower cholesterol levels, and improved kidney function. Some people claim that it helps whiten your teeth, filters water, and even cures hangovers.

• Garlic – Garlic is a plant in the onion family grown for its distinctive taste and health benefits. It forms sulfur compounds, which experts believe to be responsible for some of those health benefits. Garlic is low in calories and rich in vitamin C, vitamin B6, and manganese. It also contains trace amounts of various other nutrients. Garlic and garlic supplements may help prevent and reduce the severity of illnesses, like the flu and common cold.

• Goldenseal – Goldenseal is a herbal remedy that some people use to treat colds, hay fever, digestive problems, and other health conditions.

Goldenseal is also added to various over-the-counter remedies, such as ear drops, feminine hygiene products, eyewash formulations, cold and flu remedies, allergy-relief products, laxatives, and digestive aids. The herb is naturally rich in a class of alkaloid compounds, with berberine, hydrastine, and canadine being found in the highest concentrations.

• Peppermint –Peppermint is an aromatic plant, a cross between water mint and spearmint. Benefits include helping to manage digestive problems, nausea, headaches, and other health issues. Peppermint is used to add flavour or fragrance to foods, cosmetics, soaps, toothpaste, mouthwash and other products, and it may have some medicinal uses. A person can also use dried or fresh peppermint leaves to brew tea.

• Slippery elm – Slippery elm is also called red elm or Indian elm. It’s known for its dark brown to reddish-brown bark and can reach a height of 60-80 feet. Native Americans would peel its slimy, red inner bark from twigs and branches and use it therapeutically. They found that when the bark is mixed with water, it generates a sticky material known as mucilage, which is therapeutic and soothing to anything it touches. The Native Americans would also wrap the inner bark of the slippery elm around their meat to keep it from going bad. Recent studies have shown that slippery elm bark can help treat the symptoms associated with inflammatory bowel diseases like Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis, and irritable bowel syndrome.

keisha.hill@gleanerjm.com

SOURCE: Dr Orlando Thomas, Thomas Medical and Shockwave Centre