Alkaline Herbs and Spices: A brief discussion over most commonly found ones
The human body is a strange thing. Contrary to popular belief, doctors and scientists do not know much about it either, yet. Our medical science has been progressed tremendously in the last few decades, every day some news appears which claims some sort of miracle drug has been being tested to cure – cancer, aids, Alzheimer’s, etc. And we are now in 2019, waiting for some cure for all the deadly diseases, and still waiting. But there is a solution for everything. You can always turn to mother nature and use its powers: alkaline herbs and spices to improve health in a natural way.
One may wonder, what could be the reason behind this bitter truth about all the scientists, doctors, ultra-advanced equipment, supercomputers, billions of dollars of research fund, etc. together not finding the cure for those deadly ailments till now? We are in no position to answer this.
Prominent medical researchers already admitted that despite being armed with high-tech equipment and an endless supply of research funds, they weren’t able to discover much of the human physical system in all these years. They are hopeful though, cause the medical science is progressing much more rapidly than it was 20 years ago, according to them.
However, we are not here to predict an apocalypse. Sure, we haven’t been able to understand the vast complexity of our inner-body mechanism fully, but there are plenty of ways we can “prevent” ourselves from being sick. One of such ways is to keep your body’s PH balance alkaline.
How to balance your body pH?
There has been much research to find how pH balance affects our body and overall well-being, and quite a few peer-reviewed studies proved that if our body’s PH is alkaline, then the vital organs, cells, immune systems, almost everything in our body work well. And most of the time we get sick due to something inside our body is not working the way it should work.
A simple urine test available in your nearby lab will tell you the pH balance of your body. If it’s below 7, then your body is acidic, if it’s above 7, then alkaline. Most of the people in today’s time have acidic pH. This is mainly due to the modern sedentary lifestyle and the food and drinks they consume.
Junk foods, meats, sweets, medicines, etc. are responsible for making your body acidic. Though, it’s needless to say that the pH balance of our body is one of many factors which are directly responsible for keeping yourself in its optimum state.
Hence, if you think just because your body’s pH is alkaline, you can get away smoking cigarettes – then you’re wrong. A healthy lifestyle is a perception of life and a lifelong commitment to many healthy choices, not only 1 or 2.
8 of the healthiest alkaline herbs and spices in the world
Today we will talk about some spices and herbs which are alkaline in nature. Some of these alkaline herbs and spices are common, and we use in our daily food, some are not so commonly used in some specific foods or drinks only.
If you include these herbs and spices in a regular diet, you’ll be definitely benefited. Not only these spices are rich in antioxidants and can help to balance your body pH, but also have plenty of other medicinal and therapeutic properties.
We know what antioxidant is and why that’s beneficial to us. So I’m not going to write many details except that antioxidants are natural protectors from the damages in our body caused by free radicals. Free radicals are the leading cause of aging and by reducing its amount in our body, we can slow down the aging process and several age-related diseases.
1. Cinnamon:
This is one of the spices which are alkaline. It comes from the cinnamon tree. It’s actually the bark of the cinnamon tree which is removed and then dried. It can be consumed as a whole, or it can be crushed to form a powdery substance. It is a very popular spice in the Asian subcontinent, its distinct flavor made it an integral part of several Asian cuisines. Cinnamon is not an expensive spice, it’s rather cheap and readily available in your nearby supermarket.
However, there’s another identical spice named cassia, which is often being sold as cinnamon. They look a bit different physically, though you have to have good eyes to notice the difference. They both come from the same family of plants, and they have hardly any difference in their nutrition or medicinal value, except just a few.
Cinnamon is like a wonder spice. It has so many medicinal properties that it’s not possible to describe those all in this limited space. First of all, cinnamon is an antioxidant powerhouse. Research has proven that it probably has the highest amount of antioxidants among all the common spices we use.
There are several other significant therapeutic properties can be found in cinnamon. Its natural anti-inflammatory properties fight infection in our body. Inflammation is the primary reason for many lethal conditions, including heart attack, stroke, cancer, etc. Cinnamon improves your cardiac health – research data shows that it is linked with lowering LDL and triglycerides, at the same time, promoting the growth of good HDL.
Researchers also noticed that cinnamon is highly effective in case of type-2 diabetes. Combining all these properties, such as anti-inflammatory, lowering triglycerides and LDL, promoting HDL, and improving type-2 diabetes, scientists agreed that cinnamon can dramatically reduce the risk factor of any cardiac disease.
2. Licorice:
Licorice is similarly effective as cinnamon in our body in terms of alkalinity. It comes from Licorice tree which is predominant in Asia, the Middle East and few parts of Europe. It comes as root mainly. Other than alkalinity, it has many other health benefits.
Licorice works wonder in gastrointestinal diseases. It has potent anti-inflammatory properties which help improve the condition in several gastro-diseases like peptic ulcer, acid reflux, H. Pylori infection, etc.
Licorice improves bronchial function by producing healthy mucus which helps to cleanse the lung and overall respiratory system.
Licorice has anti-stress properties, and it is found to be helpful in the treatment of several types of cancer as well. Though the FDA hasn’t approved using Licorice in cancer treatment protocol yet.
3. Valerian:
Valerian is also an alkaline herb. It has a glorious history that goes back to ancient Rome and Greece. Physicians of the Roman Empire and Greece used to prescribe this herb in case of severe insomnia. They even used it to treat epilepsy, as per literature of that time.
However, today it is mostly used to treat insomnia and some other nervous system disorders. A team of doctors and medical research team in Sweden recently confirmed its effectiveness to improve insomnia dramatically. They have done double-blind research, and the result was astonishing. As much as 49% of patients suffering from insomnia had a near-perfect sleep, and 89% had their condition improved – none had any side-effect patients usually experience by using popular sleep-medicines.
Valerian also has other therapeutic uses in conditions like muscle stiffness, anxiety, pain, high blood pressure, GERD.
4. Cayenne Pepper:
This is another alkaline herb, it is used as both – as a spice in food and as a potent medicine in many conditions. It has anti-inflammatory properties and can be used in severe headache, body pain, arthritis, and even to prevent cancer.
It may boost your metabolism, it has hunger suppression properties, also improve digestive conditions, may help lower high blood pressure too. It is known to be effective in psoriasis. Though no peer-reviewed research has been done to support those medicinal properties yet.
5. Dandelion Greens:
Some consider this herb as weed, but experts praise its high alkaline level and other usefulness. It’s recognized as anti-carcinogenic. Also, it has diuretic property, hence useful for kidney stones. It improves the condition in type-2 diabetes and also helpful in lowering cholesterol.
6. Turmeric:
Turmeric is a very common spice in Asian cuisine, and people in the Indian subcontinent (particularly India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh) use this daily in their cooking. This is one of the most researched spice, mainly for its potent anti-inflammatory and anti-carcinogenic properties.
Like most other pungent spices, it’s known for its alkalizing effect on the human body. It is also useful for diseases like arthritis, diabetes (type-2) and gastric ulcer.
7. Garlic:
Known as a superfood, this is one spice nutritionists and doctors recommend blindly for various ailments. It is alkalizing and has anti-cancer properties. It’s the only spice which is antioxidant, anti-fungal, antibiotic, antiviral and anti-parasitic at the same time.
It provides the best result when consumed fresh; however, some can’t tolerate its strong smell – they can use its dried or capsule form.
8. Wheat Grass:
This is another highly praised herb for its alkalizing nature and medical purposes. You can make juice out of it and consume as a health drink. Among many health benefits, cancer-fighting, anti-inflammation, anti-bronchial, and infection preventing properties are noteworthy.
Final thoughts: Alkaline herbs and spices
Before you use any herb for any medical purpose, always consult your physician first. Some herbs have been studied extensively by medical scientists, and their properties are proven, when some have not been researched at all and everything you heard about their usefulness, are all hearsay and myths.
Take extreme caution before you consume any of those herbs and spices and use only in low to a moderate amount.