The 3 Best Spices for a Longer Life

by guest blogger Mao Shing Ni, DOM, PhD, ABAAHP, Lac, doctor of Chinese medicine, antiaging specialist, and author of Secrets of Longevity.

Next time you are reaching for the spices in your cabinet, you might be doing more for your health than just making a great dinner. Traditional Chinese Medicine and other Eastern traditions have been using herbs and spices to cure common illnesses and maintain good health for centuries. For instance, Chinese doctors have used ginger since ancient times to cure aches and pains. A traditional Indian beauty trick is to spread turmeric paste on the skin to purify it and prevent pimples. Below are a few spices that can help you to feel better and live longer!

Ginger for Digestion
Best known in the West for its antinausea properties, ginger has probably been in the longest continuous use of any botanical remedy in the world. The Chinese use it for both medicinal and culinary purposes, frequently in cooking seafood, since it acts as a detoxifier to prevent seafood poisoning. Besides its popular applications for digestive distress, ginger has been found to contain geraniol, which may be a potent cancer fighter. It also possesses anti-inflammatory properties that help relieve pain, prevent blood clots, and inhibit the onset of migraine headaches. Since ancient times, Chinese physicians have regularly consumed ginger tea to keep their vitality fired up.

Evergreen for Vitality
In ancient times, Taoists living in the mountains of China observed that during snowy winters, the only plants exhibiting vitality were evergreens such as pines. Through experimentation, they found a therapeutic use for every part of the pine tree: a physical and mental energy boost from pine needle tea and bark tea, antimicrobial properties in the trees' sap, and sustenance from pine nuts as a food. Since then, the pine has become a symbol of longevity in Chinese culture. A potent antioxidant in pine called pycnogenol protects endothelial cells (which make up the lining of the blood vessels and heart) from free radical damage, serves as an anti-inflammatory, and preserves healthy skin structure. It is one of only a few antioxidants that cross the blood-brain barrier, protecting brain cells from the ravages of free radicals in the blood. Pycnogenol is available in dietary supplement form, but the same beneficial flavonoids can be obtained by eating pine nuts.

Garlic for Stamina
The delicious ingredient that spices up Italian food does a lot more than whet your appetite. Studies indicate that allicin, the active ingredient in garlic, can prevent atherosclerosis and coronary blockage, lower cholesterol, reduce blood clot formation, stimulate the pituitary, regulate blood sugar, and prevent cancer. As an antibacterial, it is often used to treat minor infections. To balance out its pungency, eat some breath-freshening parsley.

These are just a few of the hundreds of tips and tricks for living longer and healthier in my book Secrets of Longevity.

May you Live Long, Live Strong, and Live Happy in the New Year!

Best known as Dr. Mao, Mao Shing Ni is a board-certified ant-aging expert who practices acupuncture, nutrition, and Chinese medicine in Santa Monica and Newport Beach, California. He has appeared regularly on Dr. Oz, The Doctors, and EXTRA. In addition, he is the cofounder and Chancellor of Yo San University in Venice/Marina del Rey.  To subscribe to his free newsletter, please visit www.taoofwellness.com.

 

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Comments

[njtopit]

07:06 PM on 01/04/2012

Since when is Garlic a spice??????

[dickn2000b]

04:09 PM on 01/04/2012

Most of the time these types of stories are written by people who need a high colonic. This one, however, is right on the money. Good recommendations.

[TaylorRCN]

03:52 PM on 01/04/2012

I read an entire book on garlic. By the time I was finished, my breath smelled like Crest toothpaste. Didn't change a thing. I will say this, on behalf of the Asians, it was actually the Koreans that first recognized the health benefits of garlic. They used to put it in their clogs,wood shoes for those of you who have no Dutch in you, to eliminate odor and they noted that in a very short period, like 15 minutes, they could taste the garlic in their saliva.

[TaylorRCN]

03:46 PM on 01/04/2012

How is this news. It's the same recipe, same ingredient, same book, same same...
Ask that guy, Euel Gibbons, "Some parts are edible." Right?
Everybody's a copycat. Not everybody forgets.
Rediculous want to be naturalists.

[hvsmrspct]

12:04 PM on 01/04/2012

As for the pine nuts...I know many use them in meat dishes...but they tend to be expensive. A better alternative is to actually take some of the needles, dice them and use them for tea...I would suggest a person experiment for the flavor they prefer as each evergreen has it's own flavor and strength.

I would have also added onion to this list...I don't cook nearly anything without a base of ginger, onions and garlic.

[anilimili]

11:51 AM on 01/04/2012

Cool! I've always loved pine-nuts, and have spent countless hours as a child seeking the 'female' cones that had the nuts in them and then sitting with my friends, each of us with a rock in hand, crushing the nuts to get at the meat inside. Once in while one of our moms would get us to actually get some pine-nuts for a meal; but mostly the little yummies ended up right in our tummies. Delicious little nuggets that they are and well worth the black and sticky hands we'd get from the pinecones.

I'm glad to live to be a 150 if it means I can continue to eat those!
(and they are DELICIOUS with rice, and with chicken or turkey dishes!)

[Towers2000]

10:54 AM on 01/04/2012

HEALTHY SPICES

I would have thought the 3 best would be

1. Pepper
2. Cinnamon
3. Chicken Fat

This is not a misprint!

[capers2]

01:06 PM on 01/04/2012

Neither one of them is a Spice, they are Seasons.

[njtopit]

07:11 PM on 01/04/2012

pepper is a condiment if you must know. and the Season are Summer, Winter, Spring and Fall/Autumn and Cinnamon is indeed a spice. Check your facts before making worthless comments

[wendygoerl]

01:54 PM on 01/04/2012

I would not classify chicken fat as "spice." I've heard pepper is the only spice they haven't found to harm when used fairly liberally by almost anyone, but I'm not sure I'd give it a top three spot for health. I agree with you on the cinnamon, though.

[Towers2000]

02:59 PM on 01/04/2012

FYI
There are SPICES and HERBS that are used as seasonings!

My comment on "chicken fat" was only meant to get your attention!

[Sandi K H H]

10:49 AM on 01/04/2012

The fresh ginger and garlic are already a regular part of our diet, but have you checked the price on pine nuts lately? It runs about the same per pound as lobster.

[mwnyy]

07:53 AM on 01/04/2012

I knew about the garlic, and take a garlic pill daily.

[triska]

07:44 AM on 01/04/2012

thank you!! didn't know about the evergreen/pine properties. and ginger tea is to be on my next shopping list....along with pine nuts. :-D