Top Ten Spices That Defend You Against Aging

Why isn't turmeric on this list?

Joan

If anyone is interested, you'd have to have roughly one half of a 1 oz. spice can of cloves to get the same anti-oxidants as 8 0z of blueberries. Or 2/3 of a can of cinnamon. I eat 8oz. of blueberries per day whenever I can get them. Can't imagine a half can of cloves per day ... can you? I love spices and use them often, cloves and cinnamon are favorites too, but the comparison to blueberries is ridiculous, at least as far as anti-oxidants and taste goes.

The cinnamon that is most commonly used is actually cassia (there are many varieties of cassia).  Cassia contains a chemical called coumarin which can damage the liver and kidneys.  Before using large amounts of "cinnamon", you may want to do a little research.  This website is a starting point:  http://www.bfr.bund.de/cd/8487.

Recently I was using a type of cassia sold by Penzy's spices as a seasoning for a mixture of apple, raisins, nuts, and seeds (about 2 teaspoons of cinnamon total per day).  I had chronic diarrhea from this but thought it was just because I had significantly upped my fiber intake at the same time.  I stumbled on info about coumarin, stopped eating so much "cinnamon" and the diarrhea went away.

BTW, the "cinnamon" used in some of the blood glucose studies was actually cassia, and I was taking a similar amount to their max dose.  Real cinnamon may not have this effect, but I'm not sure I totally trust whether I'm getting real cinnamon or cassia, and I don't know how much coumarin is in real cinnamon.

Jan

Did anyone elso notice the "pumpkin pie spice", the" apple pie spice" and the "Itallian spice'  What is apparent to me is that we have growen so accustomed to pre mixed or pricess foods as an ingredint in a recipie we do not even notice it.  I read so many recipies that list such things as cool whip or mexical spices as an ingredient that I do not think that many people remember what is in apple pie anymore.

Ingredients are ment to be that, not composites.

Wendy

According to a Dr. David Williams (who claims to be an alternative health authority) true cinnamon is good for hi blood sugar...but true cinnamon is from Ceylon (cinnamon verum), usual variety is from Indonesia cinnamon cassia which also contains toxic component coumarin. I don't know that...have no personal experience with it.

However, some of the comments also related  to chromium. I have a ton of personal experience on that and also of family members. I have found that GTF chromium can work wonders....that is not the same as chromium picolinate which I never found any benefit from. I have found that GTF chromium partners with vitamin A to greatly boost the immune system for many conditions. Zinc also partners with vitamin A for other conditions. The limited space here doesn't allow me to elaborate..see www.geocities.com/.../NUTRITION_PAGE.html

I wonder how many know that "some spices" are irradiated in the course of processing for market...   Also, that as of today, the FDA (ugg!) approved the irradiation of fresh spinach and iceberg lettuce...!!   All of the above information comes from a Washington Post article of 8/22/08.

A MUST READ for CINNAMON eaters...Cassia cinnamon that most people eat can be toxic in large quantities... Also it's best to eat the actual spice and not any extract...read below:

Chemist Richard Anderson says that his research has shown that most, if not all, of cinnamon's antidiabetic effect is in its water-soluble fraction, not the oil (the ground cinnamon spice itself should be ingested for benefit, not the oil or a water extraction). In fact, some cinnamon oil-entrained compounds could prove toxic in high concentrations. Cassia's effects on enhancing insulin sensitivity appear to be mediated by polyphenols.[9] Despite these findings, cassia should not be used in place of anti-diabetic drugs, unless blood glucose levels are closely monitored, and its use is combined with a strictly controlled diet and exercise program.

Due to a toxic component called coumarin, European health agencies have warned against consuming high amounts of cassia.

www.google.com/search?hl=fi&q=cinamon+cassia+toxic&btnG=Hae&am..

What about THC for lowering your blood sugar levels? Ever noticed those sugar cravings after smoking some pot?

Must work a lot better than cinamon. And of course, if you dont smoke, you can always make some tea from it.

greetings from the netherlands (where these healthy herbs are legal)

When I have time, I make my own version of chai spice tea...  I use a mixture of green and black tea, a very liberal amount of cinnamon, plus cloves, fresh grated (or powdered) ginger, and cardamon.  I put the spices in while heating the  water in a small saucepan and usually let them simmer a bit, then add milk or soymilk (optional at this step), heat that to boililng, add the tea leaves and steep 5 mins., then strain. I make enough for several days.  (Can omit the milk and/or add when heating it the next day.) I sweeten with stevia.

Some spices are very good antioxidants. Others are very good insulin regulators and some will do both. Dr Mercola, can we get a list of spices from you that detail their protective effects for all?....no, I am not the FDA.

APPLE PIE SPICE, TYPICALLY : CINAMON, ALLSPICE, NUTMEG, GINGER & CARDAMOM / PUMPKIN PIE SPICE TYPICALLY: CINNAMON, GINGER, CLOVES, NUTMEG, CARDAMOM / ITALIAN SPICE TYPICALLY: MARJORAM, THYME, ROSEMARY, SAVORY, SAGE,  OREGANO AND BASIL.

Cinnamon + honey is one of the most potent combination against many diseases. Last one coming into my mind is one tablespoon cinnamon mixed with two tablespoons of honey and apply on tooth abscess( gingival infection). This worked for my mom amazingly fast. Also cinnamon can cure urinal infections very well. Calin

There's a book by researcher Dr. Evans, Ph.D. regarding chromium picolinate that opened my eyes.

To make a long story short, I now take a 1,000 mgs. cinnamon capsule that has 200 mcgs of chromium picolinate in it with each meal. Evans thinks that chromium might change the shape of insulin so that it can fit through the capillaries, thereby dragging glucose into the cell where it can be used for fuel, instead of staying in the blood and getting 'glycated' (is that a word?) or ending up getting turned into bad fat in the liver.

The cinnamon apparently controls how effectively the cell walls open and close in response to blood sugar levels. So not only does it help to lower high blood sugar levels, it also prevents the blood sugar from dropping too low!

And there's no better tasting supplement. ;-)

The best to you.

Kelley Eidem,

author "The Doctor Who Cures Cancer"

I am the same age as you Dr. Mercola and through implementing super foods to my diet daily I feel incredible since I've started this 3 years ago.

I've added  ciniman and honey to my diet daily along with my super green smoothies 2x daily.

Maca and Suma is in my moranga super green 2x daily.

I also eat coconut oil daily now.

I switched to super foods 3 years ago at 52 and got off the expensive and over hyped supplementation formulations and am healthier and save money by doing this.

I use only one wellness prooduct called protandim and that is also made from 5 super foods.

This is the best product I've found for my recovery as I am a hard core work out guy at almost 56 now.

I use the kettlebell and if you've not used it it can be as gruelling as one wants.

So since I go hard recovery is needed asap to go again.

I believe cinnamon actually cured my husband's type II diabetes.  His numbers are pre/non-diabetic now after several months of taking cinnamon, eating right, and daily light exercise.  It may have caused GERD though, or possibly made the GERD worse. So be careful.  We lowered the cinnamon, dealt with the GERD, then back to the cinnamon.

It makes it easy to always have some supply of herbs and spices on hand by growing it indoors and year round at that.

How to Grow Vegetables and Herbs Indoors

www.ehow.com/how_4864382_grow-vegetables-herbs-indoors.html

fANTASTIC !!!!WHAT AN INTERESTING READ YOU HAVE SO MUCH TO SHARE!

We are talking two separate spices here.

Cassia is Cassia - it tastes similar to cinnamon but is not cinnamon. Ceylon cinnamon is cinnamon. I have never seen an article where cassia is recommended for any health concern. To my knowledge, it is only a culinary spice to be used for flavoring and not used in any therapeutic manner. So, when an article recommends cinnamon for a health concern, it is Ceylon Cinnamon. To my knowledge, the US is the only country that uses the word cinnamon for both Cassia and Cinnamon.

The US also uses the term lavender for both Lavender and Lavandin. Lavender has been used to help heal burns but Lavandin with its high camphor will make a burn worse.

Penzeys carries Ceylon Cinnamon which is the real cinnamon.

Vietnamese, China and Korintje are all Cassia.

penzeys.com

Turmeric should be the top of the list!

how much of this stuff are you supposed to eat?  and do you eat it daily?

Nutmeg is what our family has used for years, it cures those little white mouth sores you get, canker sores. If we get one we take some, put it on the sore, and eat some, but I guess you do not need it all the time, I take some a few times a year for prevention, but I guess there are people out there who would take too much.

wonderlabs.com is a great place to get stuff at lower cost. I get my Blueberry, EDTA, and green cholorphil (spelling) there.

I'm getting a bit confused here. Are we saying that only cassia type cinnamon helps with balancing sugars levels but that eating too much of this may cause liver/kidney problems OR does ceylon cinnamon do the same thing and is less harmful?

If you read in his article what sugar does to your arteries, i.e., forms scar tissue that breaks down the regular tissue, which ages the arteries, guess what?  It does the same thing to your face.  Sugar will combine in the same way with your facial skin and age you more quickly.  I think it is a great thing to keep in mind the next time you reach for that birthday pastry at the office.

I like cinnamon on many things...   I add it to iced tea, sprinkle it on a dish of good food, and take it along with some supplements...   To me, it has a sort of sweet taste that is very enjoyable...and healthy...

This may sound odd but I put cinnamon on my salmon along with other spices. I used chili powder with it last night. My 8 year old daughter loved it! The cinnamon cuts the strong taste of the salmon. Its really good with added benefits. I'll have to try the coffee thing that sounds good.

The active component in these spices is carried on their volatile oils which go rancid rather quickly then evaporate. For maximum potency, using fresh, not dried herbs is most preferred. If you must use dried, grind or crush them yourself. In a pinch, a dried ground version is better than nothing, but it needs to be less than six months past the grinding time.

Cilantro,parsley,and nettles are very good for purifying the blood.You can go to mountainroseherbs.com.They have a great selection of herbs and spices at great prices,and they give a very good description of what each spice is and what it is used for.Very reasonably priced also,and they have organic,and chemical free proucts.Personally,I like the chemical free better than organic,as the USDA now allows more chemicals in organics

my daily breakfast is rough milled porridge oats made with water, plus blueberries, raspberries, red grapes, stem ginger with the syrup washed off, strawberries and cinnamon liberally sprinkled on top. I know there' s a lot of grain there and also fructose from all that fruit, but I hope that by adding the cinnamon it counteracts against the glycation effect, allowing me to benefit from all the other good things contained in the oat and fruit. Any thoughts?

try Saigon cinnamon...much deeper intense flavor

KelleyEidem, what is the name/brand of that cinnamon and chromium supplement you mentioned?

I've always wondered if it was wise to take too much cinnamon, but I do have capsules.  I ventured out of the normal realm and experimented with my cinnamon capsules.  Believing that these capsules are perhaps of a higher quality (hopefully) and used my capsules with an old fashion recipe, "toast n' butter and cinnamon."  Great treat - Ezekiel Toast, with butter and a broken open capsule of cinnamon.  

I add lots of cinnamon to my daily green smoothies. I also like cinnamon on my cereal, in my coffee like BeeGirl mentioned, with a slice of lemon. I've always loved cinnamon and other spices and use them often.

Carrott soup:  organic carrotts, organic chicken broth or water, liberally add cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves.  Simmer (crock pot is easiest) until carrotts are tender.  Run through blender.  WOW.  Great hot or cold = instant healthy snack.  Also good with onions added.  I freeze in single-serve containers.

Just go on whofoods . com (worlds healthiest foods) and just eat whatever is on there (i'd recommend staying away from grains though).  Human body was never meant to ingest a lot of what we eat today, sugar is a curse on us from the Indians for taking their land off them, now we all suffer.  Grains (wheat etc) isn't meant for us, it's there for a different specie to consume, why we drink cows milk is also beyond me.  

However if you love your body (which I do) you'll take care of it, and treat it with respect, and make it powerful with a combination of strong potent foods, and good exercise.  Thing is now our survival instinct has disipated, our desire instinct has increased ten fold, we find ourselves addicted to dirty sex (not even related to making babies), and dirty food.  We reap what we sow, be it AIDS, or Cancer, we reap what we sow, and you'll learn, you'll definately learn the hard way.