The Flavor of Health
Sep 14, 2010 by Bill Rawls, M.D.
It should be no surprise to find that most culinary herbs (herbs used in cooking) have medicinal properties. The aroma and flavor that we find so pleasing is a sign of beneficial qualities that extend beyond gastronomic pleasure. In fact, herbs and spices offer a higher degree of disease-reducing properties than any other facet of our food supply.
Taking advantage of these beneficial qualities is not a new concept. Imagine life as a primitive human 30,000 years ago. There were no markets and certainly no labels that indentified which plants were safe. It was a matter of trial and error, and over thousands of years humans learned to select plant substances with beneficial qualities over those that were poisonous. Over time this information was recorded in our genes as the qualities that we find so pleasing. So, as it turns out, culinary herbs have flavors that are appealing because they are good for us and not the other way around.
In essence, humans have always practiced herbal medicine. Odds are that ancestors of today’s culinary and medicinal herbs were found as a natural part of many primitive diets. In our age of commercially produced and processed food, this important variable of health has been almost completely excluded. Even individuals who go out of their way to eat healthy are probably are not achieving the concentrations of herbal protection found in a primitive diet.
This certainly makes a case for spicing up your food. It also makes a case for considering herbal supplements as part of a daily regimen for disease prevention. Taking supplements is a way to bring the concentration of beneficial herbs up to natural historical levels. Unlike drug therapy, which has the potential for toxic side effects, most types of herbal supplements are very safe for long term use. The evidence has not only been defined by thousands of years of human use, but is recorded in our genes.
Personally, I start and end every day with a handful of supplements. I use the concepts of The Vital Plan as my guide for choosing supplements that will maximally reduce my potential for disease. My regimen includes fish oil, glutathione, muscadine grape extract, milk thistle for liver protection, turmeric (within the JointWell product), our Comprehensive Multivitamin, extra vitamin D, cat’s claw for natural antibiotic protection, cordyceps for adaptogenic qualities with immune enhancement, hawthorn to reduce blood pressure, garlic for cardiovascular benefits and Rejuvenzymes for reducing inflammation and fibrin deposition – all in combination with a healthy and flavorful diet.
Categories: Everyday Supplements, Herbal Therapy,
Tags(s): Antioxidants, Cancer, Detoxification, Turmeric,
Previous Comments
Dacie Edwards- Oct 22, 2010
Thank you for providing this reasoning behind the herbal therapies. Our society has been so trained that taking pills is harmful and I have been wondering lately if it was okay to be taking the nutraceuticals long term. It it reassuring to be reminded that herbs are very natural for human consumption. Thanks Dr. Rawls!
