When you walk down the aisles of your local grocery store, there is usually an entire section dedicated to spices. From cinnamon to pepper, cumin to star anise, ground or whole, organic or locally sourced, the choices are bedazzling and the selection endless. Spices were once so valuable that entire nations sent out expeditions just to discover new routes to their source, yet they are so common today that we can pick one off the shelf. In addition to how spices enhance our food, they actually have incredible medicinal properties.
According to an extensive 2019 study published in The Journal of AOAC International, “there is now ample evidence that spices and herbs possess antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antitumorigenic, anticarcinogenic, and glucose- and cholesterol-lowering activities, as well as properties that affect cognition and mood.”
