Including natural herbs in your diet may help you prevent heart disease, cancer and diabetes and reduce blood clots. Herbs also provide anti-inflammatory and anti-tumor properties.
If you find that low-fat or low-salt foods do not taste pleasant, use natural herbs to enhance the flavor of almost any dish. Here are top 5 health benefits of including herbs in your daily diet.
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| Health benefits of natural herbs |
5 Health Benefits of Including Natural Herbs in Your Daily Diet!
Herbs in our diet make our dishes full of flavor and taste. Natural herbs also boost our health. Even though many medicines are available for different health issues with immediate recovery, they have side effects. So people nowadays approach natural remedies without any adverse effects. They have filled their cupboards full of dried or fresh herbs. They use it in their daily diet to get wellness and maladies. They are not added in large quantities to the diet. Still, they offer nutritional benefits. Herbs give us vitamins, minerals, and polyphenols like fruits and vegetables. They are responsible for the anti-inflammatory properties of the herbs.
Adding herbs to the preparation of meals gives several indirect health benefits including, gut health, heart health, etc. Different herbs are there with fragrances and tastes, but they have their own set of proven health benefits.
Categories of Herbs
Herbs are categorized into two: soft and woody. In the case of soft herbs, both the leaves and stems can be consumed, such as parsley, cilantro, basil, and Dill. On the other hand, the stem is removed before cooking when you use woody herbs. Examples of woody herbs are rosemary, lavender, thyme, etc.
Herbs are used as an ingredient in the preparation of several supplements. Consult with your physician if you decide to take pills or capsule forms.
Ways to Incorporate Herbs into Your Food
You can use herbs in the preparation of
- salad,
- Grain bowl,
- Dish of tabbouleh,
- Parsley, and Dill in the preparation of soup,
- mint, or basil to prepare infused water to drink,
- Lavender or thyme can be added to the starchy vegetables,
- Rosemary added to the roasted nuts and seeds and many more dishes.
Most of them are not aware of the potential health benefits of including culinary herbs in their diet, which is present in our kitchen.
Here we will look at the five health benefits of adding herbs to your food.
Fight against infection
All the herbs have antimicrobial properties and help fight against microorganisms due to the higher amount of antioxidants called polyphenols present in some herbs. They help us to fight against the bacteria which enters our body.
a. Oregano:
It is an herb commonly present in Mexican and Mediterranean dishes. Oregano is with a higher concentration of phytochemicals and vitamin E. It is a powerful herb that fights against infection. They are used to treat respiratory diseases such as cough, flu, colds, and bronchitis.
b. Dill:
Dill belongs to the same family as bay leaves, cumin, and fennel. It comes with vitamin A and vitamin C, reduces the heart's risk, and prevents free radical formation.
Beat Insomnia and sleep disorders
Most people suffer from insomnia and sleep disorders and feel difficult to fall asleep. It may be due to stress, tight schedule, insufficient rest, diet, and other psychological disorders. Even though many sleeping aids are available, people seek a holistic approach. Herb, make your nerves calm and get good sleep at night. Herbs have sleep-enhancing properties by balancing serotonin levels. Natural herbs contain a high amount of tryptophan that increases serotonin levels. If you have the proper balance of serotonin levels, you can get a good sleep at night. Some of the herbs are involved in reducing stress and while others help relax your central nervous system. All these effects together help to enjoy sleep without any disturbances.
There are many herbs to help with sleeping problems, and it gives immediate results. They are as follows:
a. Kratom:
Kratom helps individuals in many ways to get sleep. It is an herb that acts as a natural remedy to cure sleep apnea as it consists of many alkaloids. Mitragynine and 7-hydroxy mitragynine are alkaloids that act on the mind and body to relax. Alkaloids bind to the adrenergic receptor present in the body and signaling pathways in the brain and deal with insomnia. You can consume about 1-3 grams of kratom six hours before going to bed. Bali gold Kratom leaf has been used as a health supplement in the regular diet.
b. Ashwagandha:
Ashwagandha is one of the most common magical herbs that became popular to induce sleep. The leaves of the plants are used in the diet to promote sleep. Triethylene glycol present in the plant acts on the nervous system and removes stress and anxiety. It helps you to have regular sleep cycles. The herb has soothing properties, and it acts as an alternative to drugs.
Deal with forgetfulness and memory problems
The brain acts as a storage house of memories. Having a good memory is essential in every aspect of life. Memory loss mainly occurs at old age but can also occur at an early age due to the intake of drugs and alcohol. If you are looking to treat memory loss and enhance brain activity, you can use herbs to help.
a. Brahmi:
The active ingredients called bacosides are present in the herb of Brahmi. It has a neuroprotective effect and a positive effect on the brain tissues by activating the regenerative cells. It can be consumed in fresh juice about 10-20 ml each day. It is also available in powder form, added to the diet.
b. Ginkgo biloba:
Ginkgo biloba is used to treat memory loss in traditional Chinese medicine. Ginkgo has been used as a herbal remedy for thousands of years. It helps to improve cognitive function and Alzheimer's disease by improving the blood circulation to the brain. The leaves of the plants are used in a salad. Flavonoids and terpenoids are present in the leaves. It prevents the formation of free radicals involved in damaging the nerve cells.
Relieve pain and inflammation
Pain seriously affects the daily routine. The occurrence of pain is due to inflammation in the body. Inflammation results in headache, joint pain, tooth pain, arthritic pain, and any pain. A person suffering from pain may experience irritation and lose interest in work. Herbs act as a natural alternative to treat all kinds of pain.
a. Sage:
Sage is an herb known for its anti-inflammatory effects. It contains antioxidants such as flavonoids, oxygen binding enzymes, and phenolic acid, which reduces inflammation and pain.
b. Ginger:
Anti-inflammatory properties are present in Ginger, which aids in reducing the pain in joints. Ginger acts as an antioxidant that prevents oxidative stress, which is responsible for the degeneration of joints. To get the benefits, you can add one tablespoon of Ginger to one cup of water and boil it for five minutes. Cool it and consume it daily by adding a teaspoon of honey on an empty stomach and vegetables, soups, and other dishes. Ginger is a traditional medicine that increases the blood circulation in the affected area and heals the pain. Medicinal benefits are maintaining glucose levels, protecting heart disease, and lowering bad cholesterol and pain.
Read Here: 7 Most Powerful Medicinal Herbs for Pain Management
Prevent cancer and tumors
Scientists have evidence that adding herbs to the diet activates the immune system in our body and aids in placing cancer at bay. Anticancer properties are due to the presence of phytochemicals present in the herbs.
a. Rosemary:
Caffeic acid, and rosmarinic acid, present in the rosemary herb, act as antioxidants. It holds anticancer properties due to carnosol that inhibits the formation of tumors.
b. Parsely:
Parsley inhibits tumor formation in the lungs and neutralizes the carcinogens. It helps to reduce the blood vessel growth involved in supplying the nutrients to the cancerous cells and suppress the cancer formation.
Conclusion
Herbs in the diet play a crucial role in the supply of nutrients, which is beneficial to various health conditions of the body. Those who have serious health ailments should not depend upon the herbs. They have to consult with health professionals to treat serious health issues.