This Facts About reviews spices and herbs and gives examples. We provide a guide for selecting an appropriate portion size, and recommendations for incorporating healthy changes into your diet.

What are the recommended servings per day?

• Use a variety of spices, herbs, and alliums in your daily food preparation. Experiment cautiously with hot peppers.

What are spices, herbs, alliums and hot peppers?

• Herbs refer to leaves of low-growing shrubs. They can be used fresh or dried.
• Spices may be the seeds, buds, berries, bark, root, or fruit of tropical plants and trees
• Alliums are bulbous plants that are used as flavoring for foods and for their medicinal properties. They are found in most regions of the world except the tropics, New Zealand and Australia.
• Hot peppers are edible, pungent fruits of the species Capsicum. They are used as spices and flavoring for foods and for their medicinal properties.

Why choose a variety of seasonings?

• Seasonings are grown for their culinary and medicinal properties
• They may be helpful in many medical conditions, such as:
  • Nausea
  • Infections
  • Anti-inflammatory conditions
  • Autoimmune disorders
  • High blood pressure
  • Cholesterol levels

Selected Food Sources - The following information is not meant to be an exhaustive list. Due to limited space, we have highlighted only a few of the many beneficial seasonings.

Special Considerations

Whole Turmeric in Powdered Form

• Tumeric is the yellow spice most familiar in Indian cooking and American prepared mustard
• Has antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties
• May decrease symptoms of autoimmune disorders, arthritis, tendonitis, and other disorders with inflammation
• Curcumin is the part of turmeric that gives the yellow color

Fresh Ginger Root

• Ginger is an underground stem or rhizome which sprouts large pink and orange flowers that look as if they have been carved out of wax
• Has anti-inflammatory properties
• Helps with nausea and motion sickness
• Decreases symptoms of arthritis and bursitis
• Reduces platelet aggregation

Fresh Garlic Cloves

• Garlic cloves are the segments of a head or bulb of garlic
• Natural antibiotic and antiviral agent as a result of sulfur-containing compounds
• May help with infections: colds, sore throat, ear infections in children, fungal or yeast infections
• May slow development of atherosclerosis, improve high blood pressure and decrease total and LDL (bad) cholesterol by reducing blood platelet stickiness and artery spasms
• May decrease risk of developing colorectal, prostate, breast, liver, skin, and digestive tract cancers by inhibiting the growth of tumors and stimulating the immune system

Fresh or Dried Peppermint

• Fresh or dried peppermint are the leaves from the peppermint plant
• Used as a digestive remedy for relief of heartburn, indigestion, and nausea
• May soothe the lower GI tract by decreasing spasms and gas formation
• Contains antioxidants called flavonoids which stimulate bile and saliva production
• Its soothing effect results from the stimulation of salivation, which increases the swallowing reflex and suppresses cough

Cayenne Pepper

• A very pungent spice produced by drying and grinding the orange to deep-red fruits of small-fruited species of Capsicum
• Capsicum is used to stimulate digestion
• Eases toothache pain
• Improves peripheral circulation
• Reduces blood clotting tendencies
• Decreases cholesterol
• Helps to prevent arteriosclerosis and heart disease

Whole food vs. supplements

• Whole foods are the best sources of vitamins, minerals, and other plant compounds that help you stay healthy and fight disease
• We recommend these foods in their natural form. Taking them in supplement form may reduce their effectiveness and may increase the risk of side effects.

Interactions with medications and medical conditions

Because of their medicinal qualities, some spices and herbs may interact with medications. We advise individuals to contact their physician if taking medications.

How to use seasonings

1. Spices and herbs should be stored in a cool, dry place.
2. Green herbs should be protected against direct sunlight exposure.
3. Ground spices release flavor immediately, therefore add them at the end of the cooking period.
4. Whole spices should be added at the beginning of cooking so their full flavor can be extracted.
5. Crumbling whole herbs just before use helps to release their flavor.
6. Chopping or mashing garlic releases an active medicinal component, allicin.
7. To reduce the heat of hot peppers, remove the seeds.
8. Fresh herbs can be added to salads, soups and sauces.

This Facts About document is published by Monica Myklebust, MD, and Jenna Wunder, MPH, RD, at University of Michigan Integrative Medicine Clinical Services. Our mission is to care for people using an Integrative Medicine model that reaffirms the importance of relationship between practitioner and patient, focuses on the whole person, is informed by evidence, and makes use of all appropriate therapeutic approaches to achieve optimal health and healing.

Resources

Add a Little SPICE (& HERBS) to Your Life!
Henneman, Alice
University of Nebraska-Lincoln
NU Cooperative Extension in Lancaster County
www.lancaster.unl.edu/food
Accessed May 8, 2006

Allium
Britannica Concise Encyclopedia
www.britannica.com
Accessed May 8, 2006

Capsicum
Natural Medicines Comprehensive Database
www.naturaldatabase.com
Accessed May 8, 2006

Cayenne Pepper
Britannica Concise Encyclopedia
www.britannica.com
Accessed May 8, 2006

Chili Pepper
Britannica Concise Encyclopedia
www.britannica.com
Accessed May 8, 2006

Garlic
Natural Medicines Comprehensive Database
www.naturaldatabase.com
Accessed May 8, 2006

Ginger
Natural Medicines Comprehensive Database
www.naturaldatabase.com
Accessed May 8, 2006
Bennion M and Scheule B. Introductory Foods. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice-Hall, Inc.:2000.

Peppermint Leaf
Natural Medicines Comprehensive Database
www.naturaldatabase.com
Accessed May 8, 2006

Popping Pills or Peeling Bananas?
Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy
www.tuftsdaily.com
Accessed May 8, 2006

Original Research and Review Articles

Bielory L.  Complementary and alternative interventions in asthma, allergy and immunology.  Annals of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology.  2004;93(Suppl 1):45s-54s.

Calder PC, et al.  Polyunsaturated fatty acids, inflammation and immunity.  European Journal of Clinical Nutrition.  2002;56(Suppl 3):14s-19s.

Craig WG.  Health-promoting properties of common herbs.  American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.  1999;70(Suppl):491s-499s.

Grigoleit HG, et al.  Gastrointestinal clinical pharmacology of peppermint oil.  Phytomedicine.  2005;12:607-611.

Grigoleit HG, et al.  Peppermint oil in irritable bowl syndrome.  Phytomedicine.  2005;12:601-606.

Grzanna R, et al.  Ginger – an herbal medicinal product with broad anti-inflammatory actions.  Journal of Medicinal Food.  2005;8(2):125-132.

Fleishauer AT, et al.  Garlic consumption and cancer prevention:  meta-analysis of colorectal and stomach cancers.  American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.  2000;72:1047-1052.

Mason L, et al.  Systematic review of topical capsaicin for the treatment of chronic pain.  British Journal of Medicine.  2004;328(7446):998.

Sharma RA, et al.  Curcumin:  the story so far.  European Journal of Cancer.  2005;41:1955-1968.

Srinivasan K, et al.  The effects of spices on cholesterol 7 alpha-hydroxylase activity and on serum and hepatic cholesterol levels in the rat.  Internal Journal for Vitamin Nutrition Research.  1991;61(4):364-369.