Curious about what health benefits certain herbs hold? Read more to dive into the variety of nutritional elements that several herbs you are including in your meal have. This piece is sprouting with information!
Everything you eat or drink influences your body. Diet, lifestyle, and mind-body balance are the pillars of our health — no amount of tinctures or capsules can take their place. That said, adding herbs to your food can amp up your antioxidants, vitamins, minerals, and other key compounds that help keep you healthy. Everyday seasonings can improve digestion, fight inflammation, enhance the benefits of other foods you eat, and not to mention almost always improve the flavor of a meal. While many herbs provide nutrition, the following herbs are safe, commonly found, easily grown, and frequently featured on our menu.
Basil
Basil leaves are vibrant green, heart shaped and are easily recognized by their highly aromatic qualities and flavor profiles. The leaves also offer unique health-protecting effects in two areas: flavonoids and volatile oils. Basil’s flavonoids, orientin and vicenin, are known to be good antioxidants and protect our bodies on a cellular level from radiation and oxygen-based damage. In addition, basil has antimicrobial properties due to its volatile oils which have been shown to restrict growth of numerous bacteria. Basil is considered an anti-inflammatory food due to the compound eugenol which inhibits inflammatory responses by the body which can provide important healing benefits along with symptomatic relief for individuals with inflammatory health problems. The magnesium found in basil promotes cardiovascular health by prompting muscles and blood vessels to relax, thus improving blood flow.
Peppermint, Sage & Rosemary
These three common herbs all belong to the same mint family and while they all have brilliant aromatics, each offers additional benefits.
The flavor and aroma of peppermint is herbaceous and minty, and imparts a cooling sensation on the palate, a flavor and sensory experience that is due to its high content of menthol oils. Peppermint and other mints improve digestion and of the mints, peppermint has the strongest pain-relieving and antispasmodic effects. It acts as a mild diaphoretic to help break a sweat during fevers. It notably inhibit acetylcholinesterase (AChE) — enemy number one in aging and Alzheimer’s — and they also have circulation enhancing, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, mood-boosting properties.
Characterized by its greyish green color, fuzzy texture and silvery bloom, sage also belongs to the mint family. In a nod to its medicinal qualities, its name is derived from the Latin word for “to be saved.” Sage has been used for medicinal purposes since the time of the pharaohs in Ancient Egypt. Though perhaps better known as a seasoning for stuffing, it has been called the herb of longevity for its healing properties, its ability to stave off infection and help one’s memory. Sage is an excellent source of vitamin K and a source of fiber, calcium, iron and manganese.
Rosemary is a pine-scented herb grown not only for culinary use, and as an aromatic, but also for medicinal purposes. Rosemary is a good source of vitamin A and beta-carotene, as well as the minerals potassium and calcium. The volatile oils in rosemary contain natural compounds like pinene and camphene, which are terpenes that give rosemary its intense aroma, and other phytochemicals such as cineol. These compounds give rosemary anti-inflammatory, antibacterial and anti-microbial properties.
Oregano & Thyme
Oregano and thyme are common culinary herbs with a range of benefits and both are relatively interchangeable in medicinal use. Oregano is a shrub-like herb with multiple branched stems and is a good source of iron, manganese, vitamin K, fiber and calcium. Thyme has tiny rounded leaves that grow in clusters around its thinly wooded stems and is rich in iron, as well as vitamins C, D and B-complex. The two main compounds in essential oils obtained from oregano and thyme are thymol and carvacrol, which are the primary natural chemicals that give oregano, in particular, its specific taste. The compounds have strong anti-bacterial and anti-fungal properties.
Parsley
Parsley, Italian flat leaf or curly, offers a nice addition to a variety of meals, smoothies, and juices because of its mild yet perky flavor, nutrients like chlorophyll, and antioxidants. The leafy herb is a good source of vitamins A, B, C and K, and the minerals iron, potassium, and copper as well as folate. Compounds in parsley’s essential oils like limonene, eugenol and myristicin give the herb its aroma as well as antifungal, antiseptic, and anti-inflammatory properties. Flavonoids in Italian parsley, such as luteolin and apigenin, give it give it anti-inflammatory and antioxidant benefits.
Herbs offer a flavorsome nutritional boost to your daily diet, providing large doses of the vitamins, minerals, and other compounds your body needs for optimal function. This is why we key in on nutrient-dense, antioxidant-rich, and anti-inflammatory foods like the fresh herbs listed here to fortify your body against the effects of aging. So enjoy herbs liberally, fresh or dry, in teas, salads, in smoothies or leave it to the seasonings in your Thistle meals.
Curious about what health benefits certain herbs hold? Read more to dive into the variety of nutritional elements that several herbs you are including in your meal have. This piece is sprouting with information!
Everything you eat or drink influences your body. Diet, lifestyle, and mind-body balance are the pillars of our health — no amount of tinctures or capsules can take their place. That said, adding herbs to your food can amp up your antioxidants, vitamins, minerals, and other key compounds that help keep you healthy. Everyday seasonings can improve digestion, fight inflammation, enhance the benefits of other foods you eat, and not to mention almost always improve the flavor of a meal. While many herbs provide nutrition, the following herbs are safe, commonly found, easily grown, and frequently featured on our menu.
Basil
Basil leaves are vibrant green, heart shaped and are easily recognized by their highly aromatic qualities and flavor profiles. The leaves also offer unique health-protecting effects in two areas: flavonoids and volatile oils. Basil’s flavonoids, orientin and vicenin, are known to be good antioxidants and protect our bodies on a cellular level from radiation and oxygen-based damage. In addition, basil has antimicrobial properties due to its volatile oils which have been shown to restrict growth of numerous bacteria. Basil is considered an anti-inflammatory food due to the compound eugenol which inhibits inflammatory responses by the body which can provide important healing benefits along with symptomatic relief for individuals with inflammatory health problems. The magnesium found in basil promotes cardiovascular health by prompting muscles and blood vessels to relax, thus improving blood flow.
Peppermint, Sage & Rosemary
These three common herbs all belong to the same mint family and while they all have brilliant aromatics, each offers additional benefits.
The flavor and aroma of peppermint is herbaceous and minty, and imparts a cooling sensation on the palate, a flavor and sensory experience that is due to its high content of menthol oils. Peppermint and other mints improve digestion and of the mints, peppermint has the strongest pain-relieving and antispasmodic effects. It acts as a mild diaphoretic to help break a sweat during fevers. It notably inhibit acetylcholinesterase (AChE) — enemy number one in aging and Alzheimer’s — and they also have circulation enhancing, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, mood-boosting properties.
Characterized by its greyish green color, fuzzy texture and silvery bloom, sage also belongs to the mint family. In a nod to its medicinal qualities, its name is derived from the Latin word for “to be saved.” Sage has been used for medicinal purposes since the time of the pharaohs in Ancient Egypt. Though perhaps better known as a seasoning for stuffing, it has been called the herb of longevity for its healing properties, its ability to stave off infection and help one’s memory. Sage is an excellent source of vitamin K and a source of fiber, calcium, iron and manganese.
Rosemary is a pine-scented herb grown not only for culinary use, and as an aromatic, but also for medicinal purposes. Rosemary is a good source of vitamin A and beta-carotene, as well as the minerals potassium and calcium. The volatile oils in rosemary contain natural compounds like pinene and camphene, which are terpenes that give rosemary its intense aroma, and other phytochemicals such as cineol. These compounds give rosemary anti-inflammatory, antibacterial and anti-microbial properties.
Oregano & Thyme
Oregano and thyme are common culinary herbs with a range of benefits and both are relatively interchangeable in medicinal use. Oregano is a shrub-like herb with multiple branched stems and is a good source of iron, manganese, vitamin K, fiber and calcium. Thyme has tiny rounded leaves that grow in clusters around its thinly wooded stems and is rich in iron, as well as vitamins C, D and B-complex. The two main compounds in essential oils obtained from oregano and thyme are thymol and carvacrol, which are the primary natural chemicals that give oregano, in particular, its specific taste. The compounds have strong anti-bacterial and anti-fungal properties.
Parsley
Parsley, Italian flat leaf or curly, offers a nice addition to a variety of meals, smoothies, and juices because of its mild yet perky flavor, nutrients like chlorophyll, and antioxidants. The leafy herb is a good source of vitamins A, B, C and K, and the minerals iron, potassium, and copper as well as folate. Compounds in parsley’s essential oils like limonene, eugenol and myristicin give the herb its aroma as well as antifungal, antiseptic, and anti-inflammatory properties. Flavonoids in Italian parsley, such as luteolin and apigenin, give it give it anti-inflammatory and antioxidant benefits.
Herbs offer a flavorsome nutritional boost to your daily diet, providing large doses of the vitamins, minerals, and other compounds your body needs for optimal function. This is why we key in on nutrient-dense, antioxidant-rich, and anti-inflammatory foods like the fresh herbs listed here to fortify your body against the effects of aging. So enjoy herbs liberally, fresh or dry, in teas, salads, in smoothies or leave it to the seasonings in your Thistle meals.
