The Wonders of Cinnamon

 Alternative Medicine, Spices  1 Response »
Sep 152011
 
spices image

Cinnamon is a widely used spice. Most people don’t know that it is also used as a medicine. The use of cinnamon as medicine isn’t new, but for some reason most people don’t know a lot about what cinnamon is and what it can do for you.

Cinnamon is the bark of any of the four cinnamon trees. These types are cinnamomum verum (Ceylon cinnamon), cinnamomum burmannii (Korintje cinnamon), cinnamomum loureiroi (Saigon cinnamon) and cinnamomum aromaticum (Cassia cinnamon). Cassia is the most common and Ceylon is thought of as the best cinnamon. The bark is rolled into cinnamon sticks (quills) and then dried. Ceylon is made only from the inside of the bark. Ground cinnamon is simply the whole quill ground into powder. The finer it has been ground the higher the quality. Continue reading »

The Benefits of Ginger

 Alternative Medicine, Spices  No Responses »
Sep 112011
 
spices image

Ginger is a pungent aromatic spice that offers several health benefits in a fresh, a preserved or a dried form. Culinary ginger offers great flavor, a mild bite, and a distinct aroma to food. Medicinal ginger acts as an analgesic (pain reliever), an anti-inflammatory, an antioxidant (removes dangerous oxidizing agents), and an antimicrobial (inhibits the growth of microorganisms including bacterium, virus’ and fungi).

There are some medical institutes that list ginger as an herb. However ginger is a spice. Plant roots that are used as medicine or a food component are considered spices by botanist (one who scientifically studies plants). Herbs come from non-woody leafy plants. The active chemical in ginger is gingerol. When ginger is dried the amount of gingerol is reduced but a significant amount remains. This substance can relax blood vessels and stimulates blood flow. Continue reading »

Spices are Nice

 Herbs, Spices  No Responses »
Aug 032011
 
spices image

Spices and fresh herbs will add nutritional value and flavor to food while offering medicinal properties. There are too many spices and herbs to list them all individually. I am going to talk about a few of my favorites.

Many of the nutrients in fresh herbs can be damaged if dried or cooked like all other foods. These herbs also contain other elements that offer medicinal properties. For example when basil is dried the amount of vitamins A, C and K are greatly reduced but the compounds that act as antimicrobial are still present. Unfortunately it is my experience that the flavor is not always still present. Garden fresh herbs are the best and freshly dried herbs are much better than ones that have been sitting around. Continue reading »