We don’t blink an eyelid when it comes to self-medicating ourselves with OTC medicines and rush to the pharmacist at the slightest sneeze and the smallest rise in temperature.
Little do we realise during such panic trips and treatments that most ailments can be taken care of by things tucked right under our nose, in that kitchen cabinet.
What’s more, most health issues and lifestyle diseases can not only be treated but also proactively prevented by using just the right thing at the right time, in the right manner.
A kitchen is hard to imagine without spices, especially in Asian cuisine. These very spices pack a lot of powerful attributes and miraculous formula for helping us out with a stubborn cold, a rough skin or a stomach chaos.
Cloves, for example, are full of a paramount health-enhancing oil – eugenol. Such essential ingredients make them indispensable when it comes to an easy resource of antioxidant, antiseptic qualities. Like turmeric, cloves provide a reliable remedy with their antiseptic powers. Cloves are deservedly called the local anaesthetic, and their anti-inflammatory powers are sought by many for treating specific conditions. They are also highly rubefacient, thus helping intensively with a warming and soothing tendency that is enhanced with some associated benefits of being carminative, anti-mutagenic and anti-flatulent too. They are an easy way of improving digestion, of stimulating secretion of vital digestive enzymes and of controlling flatulence, gastric irritability, dyspepsia, and nausea.
Their role in improving digestion and curing minor digestive disorders is highly recognised. Their anti-microbial nature and a strong ability to fight cancer make them a favourite among many spices. They help in preserving bone quality, fortify the immune system and can restrain Diabetes very effectively. No doubt, they are the easy thing to reach out for when one has a headache, a stomach ache or simply needs an energy kick. Mix them in tea or a tasty concoction or whip them with some honey, and you are ready to take on a stress-filled world with confidence.
Cinnamon is another great spice within an easy reach. They are effective, anti-microbial and well-endowed when one wants to control blood sugar levels, and fight heart risk issues with formidable power. Their sweet, warm taste, smell, and flavour are very distinct and make them amenable to be used in a variety of formats. They are powerful antioxidants too. It is a bark full of healthy compounds like cinnamaldehyde, cinnamic acid, cinnamate, flavonoids, and antioxidants which make it a potent soldier against diabetes, and immunity related problems.
Similarly, a common spice which we know as Black Pepper and use as either corn or ground powder is useful for its antibacterial characteristics. It’s hot and pungent flavour is not only instrumental in its special taste and use for cooking but is also effective in various health areas. It is believed that piperine in black pepper is a crucial component for amplifying its core quality – the ability of the body to absorb a certain amount of a nutrient or supplement. This quality becomes pronounced in the case of nutrients such as vitamins A and C, selenium, beta-carotene where this spice helps actively. With its innate ability to cut down intestinal activity, and thus, in the prevention of the removal of substances from cells while also aiding in better digestion- this spice becomes indispensable. That’s why it is used to cure stomach disorders like colic, bloating, indigestion, flatulence, and constipation. But this very spice also ensures that more and more substances which arrive in the body are retained in active form and with high availability for their core use.
So grab that wonder bottle standing right around you and look at your kitchen cabinet in a fresh way before running towards a medical store in confusion. For best results, never forget to consume organic spices.
SPICES: MEDICINE CABINET IN OUR KITCHEN
