Top Four Cooking Spices That Fight Inflammation

Your Diet Needs A Powerful Anti-Inflammatory PUNCH!

As you may know, natural herbs and spices contain a wide variety of antioxidants, minerals and vitamins that add nutrient density to our meals. In fact, every time you flavor your meals with herbs or spices your food gets a nutritional “upgrade,” without adding a single calorie.

Did you know on a per gram fresh weight basis, herbs rank even higher in antioxidant activity than fruits and vegetables, which are known to be high in antioxidants? Many studies have also shown that the majority of spices also have unique medicinal qualities.

We know herbs and spices are good for our health, but which ones are the best?

The Best Four Anti-Inflammatory Spices:

Dr. Mercola explains a study involving 10 to 12 subjects that consumed a small amount of a particular spice each day for one week. Those in the oregano group ate just half a teaspoon of oregano daily for seven days. Blood samples were drawn one hour prior to starting the experiment and also at the end of the seven days.

The participants’ blood was then analyzed for antioxidant capacity. The researchers also analyzed how well the blood could depress an induced inflammatory response in white blood cells.

This was done by placing the participants’ blood onto white blood cells that had been damaged by oxidized cholesterol which is commonly found in fried foods. Not all spices showed anti-inflammatory benefits. 4 out of 13 spices were found to be significantly effective at reducing the inflammatory response, they are as follows:

Turmeric
Cloves
Ginger
Rosemary

Additional Anti-Inflammatory Spices

In addition, cloves were ranked as the most potent of 24 common herbs and spices found in your spice rack. The following list includes some of the most potent anti-inflammatory herbs and spices:

Cloves
Cinnamon
Jamaican allspice
Apple pie spice mixture
Oregano
Pumpkin pie spice mixture
Marjoram
Sage
Thyme
Gourmet Italian spice

Watch Dr. Mercola’s explanation of the study that shows turmeric, cloves, ginger, and rosemary to be the top anti-inflammatory herbs/spices. Click below: