5 Favourite Herbs for Health
The herbs growing in your garden and stored in your kitchen cabinets have played an important role in the history of human civilization. Before modern refrigeration, herbs and spices were one of the only ways that people could keep their food from spoiling or enhance its flavour. Herbs have been around since before contemporary medicine when mixing plant ingredients together in a homeopathic remedy was the only option for relief from some illnesses.
I love using herbs to help balance my body and mind. Although we don’t consume mass quantities of them, they make an important contribution to a healthy diet nevertheless. Besides adding flavour and protecting against microbes, herbs also provide high levels of antioxidants – some of the highest values found in any food. Many people think of herbs as a garnish or as a flavour booster for foods. I like to think of them as integral to my diet and overall health. They are nature’s medicines for a variety of health conditions.
Today, over one-third of Americans report turning to herbal remedies to help treat various diseases and ailments.
Five of my favourite herbs are nettle, calendula, oregano, thyme and cilantro. Below I discuss each herb and give you examples on how you can incorporate them in your daily life.
Speak with your doctor before using any herbal remedies. It’s important to work with a healthcare professional, as some may cause interactions with medications you are taking.
Nettle Leaves
Stinging nettle is a perennial flowering plant that has been used medicinally for ages, dating back as far as Ancient Greece. Primarily the leaf is consumed, but the root and the seeds can also be used in tonics. Although they are edible all spring and summer until they flower, they are best when young and tender. It may be too late in the season for you to gather fresh nettle but make a note to look for it next spring and in the meantime, drink nettle tea!
Nettles needle-like protrusions on the stems and underside of the leaves contain formic acid (the same chemical that causes the pain in bee stings and ant bites). However, the formic acid can be destroyed by heating, drying, or mashing the leaves.
Nettle is rich in chlorophyll and minerals such as iron, chromium, zinc, copper, magnesium, silicon, cobalt, and calcium. Nettles are also high in vitamins A, E, D, C, & K. Nettle contains anti-inflammatories that help abate cytokine action, one of the key components to inflammation in the body. Studies have shown it has antioxidant, antimicrobial, anti-ulcer, astringent and analgesic capabilities.
Nettle is very helpful in addressing a variety of health issues such as headaches, sore throats, sinus infections, and fatigue. It can be beneficial for diabetics as it is known to help lower blood sugar levels, and can help painful bones and achy joints in young children (growing pains). Nettle has antihistamine properties and can be helpful for allergies and hay fever. It is also frequently included in formulas for menstrual difficulties, fertility issues, and menopausal issues. Nettle seeds are used medicinally as both a preventive and curative for prostate issues.
The roots, stems and leaves of stinging nettle are edible. Young leaves can be steamed and cooked much like spinach. It can be used in soup or added to stews. Raw leaves still have stinging hairs so wait to consume them until they are dried or cooked. Cooked nettle has a flavour similar to spinach mixed with cucumber. Dried leaves and flowers can be steeped and made into a delicious tea.
If you get stung by nettle it’s important not to touch or scratch the area. The chemical irritants dry on the skin and can be removed with soap and water. Touching and scratching may push the chemicals further into the skin, extending the irritation time for days.
Ready to incorporate pesto into your diet? Enjoy this nutrient packed recipe for nettle pesto!
NETTLE PESTO
1-2 cups olive oil
½ cup chopped pine nuts, walnuts, or cashews
2-3 cloves garlic
Several handfuls freshly picked nettles
¼ cup grated parmesan cheese
Mix all ingredients in a food processor or blender. Enjoy!
Cautions for using Nettle: If you are going to start using Nettle medicinally, be sure to check with your primary health care provider to help you navigate potential side effects.
Calendula
Calendula has been used for centuries and is one of the most studied herbs. It has been used for ornamental purposes, as well as culinary, cosmetic and medicinal reasons. It is easy to grow at home and is a welcome addition to any garden as it blooms early and stays late. In Vancouver it will self sow - coming back in early spring. Picking the heads often will cause the plant to bloom more.
Calendula is easily harvested and looks beautiful growing in the garden, atop your salad, in an omelette (with nettle and feta), or in your baking. It can be made into a cream, oil, gel, compress, tincture or tea; used in a bath or facial steam; eaten in salads and stews; whipped into toothpastes or mixed into mouthwashes. It’s a wonderful herb for babies, being potent, soothing and gentle. Calendula is one of the most popular herbs for treating cradle cap, diaper rash, and other skin irritations.
Calendula is a medicinal flower that has several health benefits. Taken internally as a tea, tincture, or extract, calendula can help soothe ulcers, indigestion, colitis, heartburn, menstrual cramps, and chronic inflammation. Calendula’s antiviral properties also make it a great support for the immune system and lymphatic system.
Calendula can be applied topically as a cream, salve, lotion, or oil and may help skin problems such as eczema, psoriasis, athlete’s foot, sunburn, chickenpox, bee stings, diaper rash, yeast infections, acne, and more.
Calendula is one of the best herbs for nourishing and cleansing the lymphatic system, and is great for helping with swollen glands as it helps stimulate lymphatic drainage and moves congestion out of the body.
Infused Calendula oil is super simple to make and summer is the perfect time to do it! Check out this easy recipe for creating your own Calendula oil.
Cautions for using Calendula: If you are going to start using Calendula medicinally, be sure to check with your primary health care provider to help you navigate potential side effects, especially if you have ragweed allergies, are pregnant or breastfeeding, or using sedatives.
Oregano
Oregano is an herb that’s a member of the mint (Lamiaceae) family. It has been used for over 2500 years in folk medicines to treat upset stomach, respiratory complaints and bacterial infections.
Oregano contains some of the highest antioxidant properties in the plant kingdom. It is an excellent source of vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin K, B-complex, potassium, calcium, iron, and magnesium. Oregano has powerful antiseptic, antibacterial, antiviral, and antifungal properties that have been shown to be highly beneficial in the treatment of colds, flu, viral infections, respiratory ailments, indigestion, stomach problems, and painful menstruation.
Compounds in oregano can kill many of the bacteria that cause food poisoning, such as E.coli, Salmonella, Listeria, and Shigella. A study from the US Department of Agriculture found that Oregano outperformed garlic and allspice in stopping those four bacteria from multiplying. In a study from the Department of Food Science at University of Massachusetts it was found that a combination of oregano and cranberry extracts could kill H.pylori bacteria (the cause of some stomach ulcers).
Cooking with oregano, dry or fresh, may help reduce inflammation. Studies on the herb’s essential oils show that it contains powerful anti-inflammatory properties. This is due to the plant’s antioxidant activity, which helps improve chronic inflammation. Oregano can help relieve inflammatory conditions including allergies and rheumatoid arthritis, insect bites, psoriasis, acne, and muscle pain.
Essential oil of oregano is a potent antimicrobial that can help disinfect your home and office air. Use a diffuser with a few drops of essential oil to help clean your environment and help keep at bay contagious cold and viral infections. Add it to your bath water to help your skin and to relieve rheumatic pains as well as skin infections.
Fresh oregano is packed full of flavour, and is an easy herb to grow in your garden, or indoors during the winter. Add fresh chopped oregano to your salads, soups, and pasta sauce. When cooking with oregano, add it in at the end of the cooking process for the best results. Enjoy it as an herbal tea and sip on it throughout the day. Use it in marinades, as a rub for grilled meat (1 tsp of oregano, ½ tsp of red pepper flakes, salt, freshly ground pepper), in salad dressing, added to olive-and-vinegar based recipes.
Cautions for using Oregano: If you are going to start using Oregano medicinally, be sure to check with your primary health care provider to help you navigate potential side effects.
Consuming dried or fresh oregano is safe when included in regular recipes. Use caution if you are allergic to herbs within the Lamiaceae family (mint, basil). The concentrated oil should only be consumed for a maximum of two weeks and should be diluted with water or coconut oil when taken internally. The essential oil should be diluted when applied topically to fight infections or reduce inflammation.
Thyme
Thyme is one of the most popular culinary herbs today and its benefits are extensive. In Roman times it was consumed to prevent poisoning and put in baths to stop the effects of poisoning. Before refrigeration and food safety laws it was used to help prevent meat from spoiling and keep at bay food-borne illness. Thymol, thyme’s most active ingredient, is used in Listerine and Vicks Vaporub. It’s powerful ability to kill off bacteria and viruses makes it ideal to take at the first sign of a cold or illness.
Thyme supports the entire body as it contains antiseptic, antimicrobial, antiviral, antibacterial, carminative, diaphoretic, and expectorant properties. Thyme can help stimulate memory, ease headache and muscle tension, soothe coughs, relieve fevers, and fight colds and infections.
Thyme is an excellent source of vitamins A, E, C, K, B-complex and folic acid and it is also one of the best sources of calcium, iron, manganese, selenium, and potassium. Thyme is a good source of pyridoxine (Vitamin B6) which helps keep up levels of GABA (beneficial neurotransmitter in the brain) in the brain which has a role as a stress buster. Thyme is high in antioxidants and is packed with bioflavonoids such as lutein, zeaxanthin, and naringenin which have all been shown to have powerful effects on eliminating free-radicals from the body.
Thyme oil, with its carvacrol content, is a strong natural antimicrobial, useful in helping calm sore throats. One study showed thyme oil’s response to 120 different strains of bacteria from patients with infections. The oil demonstrated extremely strong activity against all of the clinical strains of bacteria, including a good efficacy against antibiotic-resistant strains. A recent animal study found that thymus vulgaris extract was able to significantly reduce the heart rate of subjects with hypertension. The extract was also shown to reduce cholesterol, triglyceride and LDL levels while increasing HDL cholesterol levels. In several studies published in Food Microbiology, researchers found that the herb’s essential oil is able to extend the shelf-life of meat and baked goods and decontaminate lettuce inoculated with Shigella, an infectious organism that causes diarrhea and can lead to major intestinal damage.
Thyme belongs to the mint family (Lamiaceae), and is a relative of oregano. As a hardy perennial, it thrives in most climates and prefers well-drained, alkaline soil and a sunny location.
It is a flavourful addition to chicken, fish, beef, lamb, vegetables (especially green beans, eggplant, carrots and zucchini), cheese (especially goat cheese), pasta dishes, soups, stocks, sauces, dressings and marinades for starters. Fresh thyme can be brewed into a tea (choose common garden thyme (thymus vulgaris) and/or lemon tympe (T. citriodorus) when infusing thyme teas). Steep a handful of fresh sprigs in hot water for at least 10 minutes or soak them overnight in a large jar of water. Add unpasteurized honey or fresh lemon if desired.
THYME SYRUP
Below is one of Rosemary Gladstar's favourite syrup for treating coughs, colds, and chest complaints. It’s delicious enough to add to sparkling water and serve as a thyme tisane.
INGREDIENTS
2-4 ounces thyme leaf and flower (fresh is best but dreid will do)
1 quart water
1 cup honey
SYRUP
Combine thyme and water in a pan over very low heat. Simmer lightly, with the lid ajar to allow the steam to escape, until the liquid is reduced by half, giving you about 2 cups of strong thyme tea. Strain, and compost the spent herbs. Add the honey to the warm liquid and stir, just until the honey is melted. Store in a glass jar in the refrigerator, where the honey will keep for 3-4 weeks.
USE
Take ½ - t tsp every couple of hours until the cold or cough subsides.
Cautions for using Thyme: If you are going to start using Thyme medicinally, be sure to check with your primary health care provider to help you navigate potential side effects, especially if you have hormone-sensitive conditions, or blood-clotting disorders.
Cilantro
Cilantro is a versatile herb that is used in everything from guacamole and salsa to curries, noodle dishes and chimichurri sauces. Not only is it flavorful and a bright addition to your dishes, it also has many therapeutic properties. It can be added to your daily smoothie, or juiced with other fruits and veggies.
Cilantro resembles flat leaf parsley (cilantro’s leaves are more rounded with jagged edges), but smells entirely different, with a fresh, nearly citrusy flavour. It's seeds have found a place in the kitchen quite separate from the fresh leaf. Although still citrusy, coriander has a warm, almost nutty flavour, making it the perfect complement for pickling, sausages, breads and is used as a central spice in garam masala. Cilantro can be found in the produce section of most grocery stores, alongside other fresh herbs.
To store cilantro, give the leaves a quick rinse in fresh water to remove any dirt or grit. Store upright in a jar with an inch or two of water, cover with a plastic bag and refrigerate. Remove any wilted or slimy leaves before covering them in plastic. Dried cilantro loses its flavour and scent so using it fresh is best.
The list of reasons we love cilantro is long! Below are highlights of this incredible herb's capacity to assist with your health:
Cilantro is packed with vitamins A, K, & C, minerals such as iron, calcium, and magnesium, and has more antioxidants than most fruits or vegetables.
It can help detox heavy-metals as it has been shown to bind toxic metals together, loosening them from tissue and facilitating their elimination from the body.
Cilantro’s antioxidant properties help protect against the damage caused by free radicals in the body. An in vitro study found that Coriandrum sativum can protect against oxidative stress.
It also contains an antibacterial compound called dodecenal which has the ability to kill salmonella bacteria and prevent salmonella poisoning.
It has been shown to help lower blood sugar levels in animal studies. One study published in the Journal of Food Sciences showed that when diabetes has been diagnosed, the plant helps support healthy liver function and balance blood sugar.
Cilantro is used both internally and externally as a remedy for skin irritations, including hives, sunburns and poison ivy. Its natural antihistamines help calm the immune system response against allergens. Fresh cilantro and coconut oil can be blended together and applied topically to soothe sunburns, dry skin, poison ivy and hives caused by an allergic reaction.
If you are looking for a new way to add cilantro to your diet, try this Cilantro Pesto recipe.
Cautions for using Cilantro: If you are going to start using Cilantro medicinally, be sure to check with your primary health care provider to help you navigate potential side effects.
Let us know how you enjoy adding herbs to your life!
xo
Krista