Rosemary, Turmeric, Ginger and Garlic
Spice Up Your Life
By
Linda Fugate, PhD, and Ward Dean, MD
Spices have formed a crucial part of human nutrition since ancient times.1 However, their value goes far beyond their flavor. In the article Why are vegetable dishes not very spicy?2 researchers at Cornell University reported that recipes for meat dishes include more spices than recipes for vegetable dishes in 107 traditional cookbooks from 36 countries. For both meat and vegetables, the quantity of spices increases as the average temperature of the country increases. The authors comment that meat is more susceptible to spoilage than are vegetables. Thus, the traditional use of more spices in meats and in hot climates is a strong hint that spices act as antioxidants and antimicrobials. Ancient dishes were certain to be more popular if they stayed fresh and did not cause food poisoning. Early humans may have developed a taste for plants that kept their foods safe. Thus, spices may be thought of as flavorful, natural food preservatives. Before the inventions of refrigeration and canning, spices made an enormous impact on the food supply.
The antioxidant and antimicrobial benefits of spices are not limited to food preservation. In the human body, antioxidants prevent damage from reactive oxygen species to tissues throughout the body. Oxidative damage is thought to be a factor in cardiovascular disease, cancer, neurological disorders, arthritis, and other aging-related degenerative diseases. Antimicrobial plants protect us from infectious diseases caused by viruses, bacteria, and fungi. Even HIV, the virus that produces AIDS, can be fought by natural antimicrobials found in spices and other plants.
Modern medical researchers are now discovering the potential for spices to promote good health. Ancient physicians, including Hippocrates and Dioscorides, used spices extensively in their practice. Their ideas survived to find their way into the herbal textbooks of the Middle Ages, and some of these have been preserved until our time. These plants have some of the longest and richest traditions of medicinal use. Thus, current researchers have taken an interest. Spices are becoming as common in the medical research labs as they are in Indian food. Pick any spice in your cupboard, and there’s a good chance someone has investigated its medicinal properties.
There are approximately 40 plants that are traditionally considered spices.1 An extensive literature search3 shows that 32 of these plants have been investigated for health benefits. The results of these spice experiments are overwhelmingly positive. Cancer, diabetes, and high cholesterol, for example, can all be controlled to some extent by spices. The early tribes who used protective spices were more likely to survive to pass on their recipes to future generations. So we may also look on spices as flavorful health-promoting plants.
The stars of the spice group are rosemary, ginger, turmeric, and garlic. These four spices together provide most of the known benefits of the spice world.3
Rosemary
Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis) is a member of the Labiatae (Mint) family of plants. This family also includes basil, marjoram, oregano, peppermint, sage, savory, and thyme. Most of these spices have demonstrated antioxidant and antimicrobial benefits. Pliny the Elder (c. A.D. 40—90) recommended rosemary for treatment of wounds, prolapse of the rectum, piles, jaundice, diseases of the chest, gout, freckles, and cough.1 Modern research shows that rosemary is one of the prime antioxidants4 and antimicrobials5 of the mint family. In addition, rosemary offers protection against ulcers,6 liver damage and mutagenicity,7 and bronchial asthma, inflammatory diseases, atherosclerosis, ischemic heart disease, cataracts, poor sperm mobility, and cancer.8
Rosemary has been compared in antioxidant potency to the powerful food-preservative antioxidant, BHT.9,10 BHT has been shown to extend the mean lifespan of experimental animals (Fig. 1),11 and is one of the most effective therapies for herpes (For review, see: Wipe Out Herpes with BHT by Steven Fowkes and John Mann). Rosemary, presumably, would be equally effective in its antioxidant applications as BHT.
Rosemary is native to the Mediterranean region. It is used to flavor soups, meat dishes, sauces, and vegetables.1
Ginger and Turmeric
Ginger (Zingiber officinale) and turmeric (Curcuma longa) are both members of the Zingiberaceae (ginger) family. As with most spices, both are noted for their antioxidant4 and antimicrobial activity.12 Both prevent cancer13 and the formation of blood clots which may cause heart attacks or strokes.14,15 Both also protect the liver from chemical injury16,17 and alleviate pain from arthritis.18,19
Turmeric has proven to decrease blood lipid peroxides in humans (Fig. 2),20,21 and prevent ulcers26 and inflammation,27 while Ginger is most noted for its actions to safely relieve nausea from many causes (including morning sickness, labyrinthitis, and motion sickness),22 improve digestion,23 lower cholesterol24 and prevent seizures.25
Turmeric is native to southern Asia and Indonesia. It is the characteristic spice of curry powder, and is also used in pickles, relishes, and prepared mustard. Ginger is native to southeastern Asia, and is widely used in both western and oriental dishes.
Turmeric Lowers Fibrinogen
Fibrinogen is a substance in the blood that is responsible for the final step in the blood clotting cascade. High fibrinogen levels have been shown to be an even more significant risk factor for heart disease and stroke than cholesterol. Not coincidentally, fibrinogen levels are known to rise with age (Fig. 3). Although physicians have known for years about the danger of high fibrinogen, they didn’t talk about it much, because they didn’t know what to do about it. There are no pharmaceutical drugs that are approved to lower fibrinogen.
In a recent article in Vitamin Research News we reported a recent study showing that Turmeric dramatically lowers blood fibrinogen levels (Fig. 4).28
Garlic
From repelling vampires to controlling blood sugar, garlic (Allium sativum) is an all-time favorite spice. Garlic belongs to the Liliaceae, or lily, family. A recent review article summarizes the extensive lab results showing garlic to be an antimicrobial, antithrombotic, anticancer, cholesterol lowering, antiarthritic, and blood sugar control agent.29 Typical of spices, garlic is also an antioxidant.30 In addition, garlic is noted for its ability to protect the liver,31 alleviate pain,32 and prevent ulcers.33
Garlic is native to Europe, and is popular all over the world as a culinary spice.
Summary
The following table summarizes the proven health benefits of rosemary, ginger, turmeric, and garlic. The references given are only examples of the literature documenting these effects. Numerous labs around the world have corroborated these results.
Researchers have not yet tested every spice for every health condition, of course. However, thousands of years of history indicate that spices have been some of the most revered plants on earth.1 They inspired enormous advances in navigation, including the discovery of America by Columbus. We are just beginning to understand their contributions to human health.
References:
1. Parry JW, Spices, Chemical Publishing Company, New York, 1969.
2. Sherman PW, Hash GA, Why vegetable dishes are not very spicy, Evol Hum Behav 2001 May;22(3):147-163.
3. MEDLINE abstract search, available at www.nlm.nih.gov.
4. Nakatani N, Phenolic antioxidants from herbs and spices, Biofactors 2000;13(1-4):141-6.
5. Mangena T, Muyima NY, Comparative evaluation of the antimicrobial activities of essential oils of Artemisia afra, Pteronia incana and Rosmarinus officinalis on selected bacteria and yeast strains, Lett Appl Microbiol 1999 Apr;28(4):291-6.
6. Dias PC, Foglio MA, Possenti A, de Carvalho JE, Antiulcerogenic activity of crude hydroalcoholic extract of Rosmarinus officinalis L., J Ethnopharmacol 2000 Jan;69(1):57-62
7. Fahim FA, Esmat AY, Fadel HM, Hassan KF, Allied studies on the effect of Rosmarinus officinalis L. on experimental hepatotoxicity and mutagenesis, Int J Food Sci Nutr 1999 Nov;50(6):413-27
8. al-Sereiti MR, Abu-Amer KM, Sen P, Pharmacology of rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis Linn.) and its therapeutic potentials, Indian J Exp Biol 1999 Feb;37(2):124-30.
9. Barbut, S. Antioxidant properties of rosemary oleoresin in turkey sausage. J Food Sci, 1985, 50: 5, 1356-9, 1363.
10. Inatani, R., Nakatani, N., and Fuwa, H. Antioxidative effect of the constituents of rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis L.) and their derivatives. Agric Biol Chem, 1983, 47: 3, 521-8.
11. Fujii, T., Tada, Y., Nagasawa, N., et al. Lifespan feeding studies by combined use of linear alkylbenzene sulfonate (LAS) and butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT) in rats–nonneoplastic changes. Ann Rep Tokyo Metr Res Lab P.H., 1982, 33: 399-412.
12. Martins AP, Salgueiro L, Goncalves MJ, da Cunha AP, Vila R, Canigueral S, Mazzoni V, Tomi F, Casanova J, Essential oil composition and antimicrobial activity of three Zingiberaceae from S.Tomee Principe, Planta Med 2001 Aug;67(6):580-4
13. Surh Y, Molecular mechanisms of chemopreventive effects of selected dietary and medicinal phenolic substances, Mutat Res 1999 Jul 16;428(1-2):305-27.
14. Koo KL, Ammit AJ, Tran VH, Duke CC, Roufogalis BD, Gingerols and related analogues inhibit arachidonic acid-induced human platelet serotonin release and aggregation, Thromb Res 2001 Sep 1;103(5):387-97
15. Olajide OA, Investigation of the effects of selected medicinal plants on experimental thrombosis, Phytother Res 1999 May;13(3):231-2.
16. Sohni YR, Bhatt RM, Activity of a crude extract formulation in experimental hepatic amoebiasis and in immunomodulation studies, J Ethnopharmacol 1996 Nov;54(2-3):119-24.
17. Song EK, Cho H, Kim JS, Kim NY, An NH, Kim JA, Lee SH, Kim YC, Diarylheptanoids with free radical scavenging and hepatoprotective activity in vitro from Curcuma longa, Planta Med 2001 Dec;67(9):876-7.
18. Altman RD, Marcussen KC, Effects of a ginger extract on knee pain in patients with osteoarthritis, Arthritis Rheum 2001 Nov;44(11):2531-8.
19. Kulkarni RR, Patki PS, Jog VP, Gandage SG, Patwardhan , J Ethnopharmacol 1991 May-Jun;33(1-2):91-5.
20. Ramirez-Bosca, A., Soler, A., Miquel, A.C.G., Alvarez, J.L., and Almagro, E.Q. AGE, 1995, 18: 167-169.
21. Ramirez-Bosca, A., Guitierrez, M.A.C., Soler, A., Purerta, C., Diez, A., Quintanilla, E., Bernd, A., and Miquel, . AGE, 1997, 20: 165-168.
22. Ernst E, Pittler MH, Efficacy of ginger for nausea and vomiting: a systematic review of randomized clinical trials, Br J Anaesth 2000 Mar;84(3):367-71.
23. Gupta YK, Sharma M, Reversal of pyrogallol-induced delay in gastric emptying in rats by ginger (Zingiber officinale), Methods Find Exp Clin Pharmacol 2001 Nov;23(9):501-3.
24. Bhandari U, Sharma JN, Zafar R, J Ethnopharmacol 1998 Jun;61(2):167-71.
25. Minami E, Shibata H, Nomoto M, Fukuda T, Effect of shitei-to, a traditional Chinese medicine formulation, on pentylenetetrazol-induced kindling in mice, Phytomedicine 2000 Mar;7(1):69-72.
26. Prucksunand C, Indrasukhsri B, Leethochawalit M, Hungspreugs K, Phase II clinical trial on effect of the long turmeric (Curcuma longa Linn) on healing of peptic ulcer, Southeast Asian J Trop Med Public Health 2001 Mar;32(1):208-15.
27. Araujo CC, Leon LL, Biological activities of Curcuma longa L, Mem Inst Oswaldo Cruz 2001 Jul;96(5):723-8.
28. Dean, Ward. Fibrinogen: Biomarker of Aging and Important Cardiovascular Risk Factor–Reversal with Turmeric (Curcuma longa). Vitamin Research News, Nov. Vol. 14, Num 11:5.
29. Ali M, Thomson M, Afzal , Prostaglandins Leukot Essent Fatty Acids 2000 Feb;62(2):55-73.
30. Grudzinski IP, Frankiewicz-Jozko A, Bany J, Diallyl sulfide--a flavour component from garlic (Allium sativum) attenuates lipid peroxidation in mice infected with Trichinella spiralis, Phytomedicine 2001 May;8(3):174-7.
31. Sumioka I, Matsura T, Yamada K, Therapeutic effect of S-allylmercaptocysteine on acetaminophen-induced liver injury in mice, Eur J Pharmacol 2001 Dec 21;433(2-3):177-85.
32. Sarrell EM, Mandelberg A, Cohen HA, Efficacy of naturopathic extracts in the management of ear pain associated with acute otitis www. Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med 2001 Jul;155(7):796-9.
33. Sivam GP, Protection against Helicobacter pylori and other bacterial infections by garlic, J Nutr 2001 Mar;131(3s):1106S-8S.