Spices and herbs play an important role in any diet that is anti-inflammatory because of the benefits they both offer as culinary staples. Some of these benefits include:

  1. Enhancing the flavors of food, which can possibly inspire reluctant eaters to eat foods that are nourishing that would otherwise be classified as bland or boring.
  2. Healthy compounds that can help alleviate symptoms of conditions that already exist and can lower the risk of disease.

There are many spices and herbs in the culinary world that have a wide array of anti-carcinogenic, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, and antioxidant compounds that are valuable. When all those advantages are offered alongside the wonderful flavors and fragrances, it only makes sense to use these items in each meal that you cook.

Before we go further with this article, we need to go over some definitions. Spices and herbs come from plants that are used for medicine or flavoring, without adding calories to our diets. So, what is the difference between herbs and spices? Well, the green leafy portions of the plant are typically the herbs. The spices come from the other parts of the plant including the roots, bark, fruits, berries, and seeds.

Herbs and spices have been used for a long time throughout human history. As far back as 4000 BC, the European tribes that we now know as Germany and Denmark added a spicy kick to their cooked game by adding garlic mustard seeds. They perhaps also received some of the medicinal qualities of the spice.

America, these days, is among the few places in the world that still makes a distinction between the medicinal and culinary uses for spices and herbs. Most cultures will use the same words to describe the properties of the herbs and spices they use. Though we regularly hear the phrase about using food as our medicine, many Eastern cultures have been doing so for as long as history has been written.

Using spices and herbs in your daily diet is a great way to get many health benefits and food that is more flavorful. It doesn’t take much research to discover which herbs and spices can offer you the benefits you need in your diet.