Spices and Herbs That Promote Longevity

While plenty of signs show spring is around the corner, we are not out of the woods yet! As the cold, dark days of winter give way to the cold, dry winds of early spring, keep your health and longevity fired up with spices and herbs.

Boasting big flavor and health benefits, spices and herbs are similar, but have some small differences. In general, spices are considered to be the aromatic dried seeds, fruit, roots, or bark, while herbs tend to be the leaves of herbaceous plants. Also, spices usually have a stronger flavor punch than the subtler flavor of herbs. Ancient cultures have valued both herbs and spices for their culinary and medicinal properties since ancient times. Today, plenty of studies have found that compounds in everyday herbs and spices can increase mental function and physical vitality.

Start serving up these healthy herbs and spices in your cooking right away!

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Ginger: Fire Up Your Vitality

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Well known in the West for its anti-nausea health properties, ginger is also thought to relieve the aches and pains of arthritis, headaches, sore muscles, and menstrual cramps. Since ancient times, Chinese physicians have regularly consumed ginger tea to keep their vitality fired up. Indeed, its warming qualities will have you sweating in no time! Brew yourself some ginger tea by thinly slicing a half-inch piece of fresh ginger root. Drop the ginger into a mug, add boiling water, and steep for 10 minutes. Add lemon and honey for extra flavoring. Ginger is also delicious in marinades, vegetable dishes, and sweets.

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Well known in the West for its anti-nausea health properties, ginger is also thought to relieve the aches and pains of arthritis, headaches, sore muscles, and menstrual cramps. Since ancient times, Chinese physicians have regularly consumed ginger tea to keep their vitality fired up. Indeed, its warming qualities will have you sweating in no time!

Brew yourself some ginger tea by thinly slicing a half-inch piece of fresh ginger root. Drop the ginger into a mug, add boiling water, and steep for 10 minutes. Add lemon and honey for extra flavoring. Ginger is also delicious in marinades, vegetable dishes, and sweets.

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Comments

[indiecratublican]

10:24 PM on 03/07/2011

I love the idea of holistic medicine- that and going to the doctor for check ups. But to know that natural foods, spices, and oils can prevent and sometimes even substitute certain products is truly awesome. I've recently been researching natural remedies and their effects and prestige in different cultures. I'm excited to try it out with my diet and exercise. Well, here's to living longer and HEALTHIER the eco-friendly, natural way. Cheers.

[Steve Rockett]

11:27 PM on 03/06/2011

My gevity is long enough, thank you. I am getting so tired of people wanting to make my body parts longer. I now have a 6 inch nose, a foot long long foot, hands the size of Rush's a*s and elephant ears. I am so happy no one ever sends me spam about increasing the size of my, er, you know what.

[Kringle]

11:20 AM on 03/06/2011

Did you know that the Pharmaceutical Industry is based upon the synthesis (recreation) of naturally-occurring chemical compounds?

[Steve Rockett]

11:28 PM on 03/06/2011

So they are recreational drugs?

[indiecratublican]

10:27 PM on 03/07/2011

I've figured. A lot of natural products- or plants and such found naturally in oil already have the chemical compounds a lot of pharmacists or drug companies try to create themselves. It's just tricky to know which ones to rely on man-made genius or on nature's practicality and availability.

[Kringle]

11:03 PM on 03/07/2011

Nature! The man-made chemical structures are usually "imperfect", leaving incomplete chemical chains that cause "side effects", etc.

[AskRxExpert]

09:55 PM on 03/01/2011

Great article. I always recommend trying different spices and herbs when switching to gluten free diet. http://www.gluten-free-today.com/

[Steve Rockett]

11:36 PM on 03/06/2011

What a great pickup line if a guy's name was Herb. "Hey, baby, want to spice up your life?" Nah, not such a great line afterall. Fanned.

[Fuddgate]

05:17 PM on 03/01/2011

I recently started putting turmeric in all kinds of things. There's a little bit in yellow mustard, but I somehow doubt that the mustard on the occasional hot dog is going to provide much anti tumor action. It's supposedly great to mix turmeric with cauliflower or broccoli for a potent anti cancer punch.

[Steve Rockett]

11:30 PM on 03/06/2011

Maybe they should call it antitumoric. Thanks, I will be here all week. Don't forget the matinee on Monday and tip your wait staff.

[Joff Roepcke]

12:34 PM on 03/01/2011

Long on "is thought to", short on links to peer reviewed studies. I'm all for natural remedies, but I'm kind of a fan of science, too.

[Steve Rockett]

11:32 PM on 03/06/2011

Keep that up and you will never become a regressive. Yep, stick with science.

[lotusgirl]

09:21 AM on 03/01/2011

This makes me want to make chai tea. I make it with fresh ginger, cloves, cardamom pods, cinnamon fennel seeds and pepper corns. I swear by if for a cold. I didn't know I was brewing a health powerhouse. The Indians are on to something.

[StephenJK]

11:16 AM on 03/01/2011

Chai is one of my favorite drinks. Red bull makes a cola with all sorts of good ingredients, too.

[Phytoresearcher]

08:53 AM on 03/01/2011

This list is seriously outdated. All of these are helpful, especially curcumin, but the most effective longevity herb is transmax resveratrol, the red wine extract which was used in the landmark study at Harvard by Dr Sinclair in which mice fed transmax lived 31% longer, had none of the diseases of aging or obesity, and were shown to have twice the physical endurance of mice not fed transmax.

[Steve Rockett]

11:34 PM on 03/06/2011

Hey, I said that just the other day. Don't you remember? We were at a science thingy in that place with the walls. You and I just looked at eachother and we like had this instant insight about the message that the universe was sending us. Wait, what did you say? Oh yeah, don't you remember? I wrote it on a coctail napkin. Oh yeah, you threw it out. Sorry.

[Kitty Wells]

01:41 AM on 03/01/2011

I can personally attest to the wonderful properties of spices -- daily use of cinnamon, ginger, turmeric and others has dramatically eased my aches and pains from old injuries, has increased my energy and has helped flatten out my tummy. I've read hundreds of research studies on their bioactive effects and can say from 1st hand they work. Spices rock!

[Tabuism]

12:13 AM on 03/01/2011

I use ginger every day, seldom do I have a meal without ginger, But organic ginger is hard to find, and has to be shipped from Peru at present. I had a root sprout on a shelf last summer, planted it 2 months later, and it's still alive now ! Easy to grow. This year I plan to get a head start and try to grow some, yet whatever I yield will not be much. but in the second season, large yield.

This site is great:

Growing Ginger Root: http://www.tropicalpermaculture.com/growing-ginger.html great tips on organic home growing.

[Kat Ginorio]

11:27 PM on 02/28/2011

I heard new studies in the direction of Medical Marijuana can actually cure Cancer, is there any Truth to this claim recently?

[fumes]

11:48 PM on 02/28/2011

it's amazing stuff:

Cannabinoids Reduce the Growth of Aggressive Human Breast Cancer Cells

"Here, we report that cannabidiol (CBD), a cannabinoid with a low-toxicity profile, could down-regulate Id-1 expression in aggressive human breast cancer cells. CBD represents the first nontoxic exogenous agent that can significantly decrease Id-1 expression in metastatic breast cancer cells leading to the down-regulation of tumor aggressiveness."
http://mct.aacrjournals.org/content/6/11/2921.full

[fumes]

11:49 PM on 02/28/2011

more..

Marijuana Cuts Lung Cancer Tumor Growth In Half, Study Shows

ScienceDaily (Apr. 17, 2007) — The active ingredient in marijuana cuts tumor growth in common lung cancer in half and significantly reduces the ability of the cancer to spread, say researchers at Harvard University who tested the chemical in both lab and mouse studies.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/04/070417193338.htm

[mssreader]

10:53 PM on 02/28/2011

Ginger is great as an anti-oxidant. I use it raw in my green smoothies.

[fumes]

09:59 PM on 02/28/2011

In a recent news story "Expert Testifies Cannabis Helps Slow Aging", Dr. Robert Melamede, a University of Colorado at Colorado Springs biology professor, and former head of the UCCS biology department stated that:

You can look at the harm caused by free radicals as biological friction or biological rust and the endocannabinoid1 system minimizes the impact of that and directly acts as an antioxidant as well as modifying the biochemistry in a way that minimizes the impacts," said Melamede outside court Thursday, likening endocannabinoids to humans like oil is to cars. He said if you don't have lubrication in your car, your car breaks. In the human body, the damage comes in the form of age-related diseases.

"I'm saying what science has now shown is that marijuana and cannabinoids are effective anti-aging agents which means that they are effective in minimizing the onset and the severity of age-related illnesses which include cognitive dysfunction things like Alzheimers, cardiovascular disease, be it heart attacks, strokes, or clogged arteries," he said. (Newham, 2008)

In reference to this, it is worth noting that the world's oldest woman was a copious cannabis smoker, and attributed her great age to her use of the herb.
http://endingcannabisprohibition.yuku.com/sreply/241/t/Cannabis-and-Longevity.html

[LINY01]

06:36 PM on 03/05/2011

LIked all of your posts on cannabis. Thought you might enjoy this as it jokingly points out the stupidity of making something so natural illegal (but we know its because big pharm can't patent it):

Wanted! For the production and distributi­­on of illegal plants! God. No photo available. Claims to have created everything­­, including illegal plants. FBI Has evidence in writing: Genesis, the Bible: “I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of the earth”

Also wanted as a person of interest/c­­o-conspir­a­tor: Jesus,. Claims to be son of God and religious cult leader. Sought for questionin­­g with regards to father’s illegal herb activities­­.

[fumes]

08:04 PM on 03/05/2011

''Claims to have created everything''
----------------------
LOL

[DavidDavid]

09:41 PM on 02/28/2011

Sloppy homework. Yes, the National Health and Medical Research Council of Australia says there's evidence that garlic can lower cholesterol levels by up to 9%, but it also categorizes the quality of that evidence as III-3, meaning the evidence is pretty weak. Here in the US, the federal government concluded 10 years ago that the case for garlic lowering cholesterol levels is unproven and inconsistent, which still accurately describes the state of the research.

[Marilyn Ramirez]

09:29 PM on 02/28/2011

Ginger also has anti-inflamatory properties. I try to add it to many of the foods that I prepare