Nutrition is super important for health and for weight loss and even muscle gain. Forget exercise if you’re not eating the right food.  Traditional medicine is often based around consuming specific foods, particularly herbs.

Even the World Health Organization recognizes the importance of herbal medicine as a complement to modern medical practices. There are countless herbs that can help support body function and serve as preventative medicine. 

1. Rosemary

Rosemary is a Mediterranean herb with pointy, needle-like leaves. As a perennial plant, it lives more than 2 years, making it perfect for a home herb garden. It’s easy to grow, pest-resistant, and aesthetically pleasing. This herb is rich in antioxidants and has anti-inflammatory properties.

2. Ginger

Asian people have known about the benefits of ginger for hundreds of years. This root provides a powerful, spicy flavor that helps fight a variety of human health threats. It has antioxidant, antimicrobial, and anti-inflammatory properties, but people commonly use it to treat stomach issues. Ginger tea is super easy to make and can calm the stomach lining.

3. Garlic

Not only can garlic fight off imaginary monsters like vampires, but it also fights real ones, like colds and cancer. Garlic has allium, a category of compounds that have a variety of anti-cancer effects. They can help send messages to human genes that stop tumor formation. They can reduce inflammation, making the body less susceptible to cancer. They can slow the growth of cancer cells. The list goes on, but more research is still needed.

4. Cinnamon

Cinnamon is a well-known, spicy herb that warms up many desserts. It can easily be added to any drink, from coffee to smoothies and oats. It has antioxidants, is anti-diabetic, anti-inflammatory, and antimicrobial. It’s basically good for treating everything, from neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s to HIV-1. It’s among the most powerful herbs on the planet.

5. Oregano

Oregano is a popular ingredient in Italian food, which makes sense since the Mediterranean diet is among the healthiest in the world. It can easily be chopped and added to almost any dish. 
Oregano is great for fighting infection, something to keep in mind as flu season fast approaches. Viral infections like the flu and common cold don’t have simple remedies, but the antiviral properties of oregano can strengthen the body to better fight off the virus.

More of the Healthiest Herbs

Thanks to their powerful flavors, incorporating the healthiest herbs into your diet is not only easy, it’s advantageous. Forget excessive sugar and salt, these herbs are all you need to make food taste better. There are thousands of healthy herbs out there, but this list includes the easiest ones to find and use. And don’t forget, you could always grow your own!  

Photo credits:

• Calum Lewis
• Annie Spratt
• Mae Mu

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