With all the coronavirus and things going on, we all now understand how important it is to increase our immunity and take care of ourselves. Ever since WHO announced the outbreak of the covid-19 pandemic, we keep hearing that casualties are patients with very little immunity and persons who are weak. Which has obviously made us more cautious about our health and made us think of ways to increase our immunity. Did you know that the spices we use in India are naturally great medicines that have the capacity to boost our immune system? This explains why the mortality rate in India is far lesser than many other well-developed countries. 

What are spices?

Spices can be either seed, root, fruit, bark, or any other part of a plant that is used for flavoring or coloring of the food. Every spice has its own flavor, some of the spices are pepper, coriander seeds, cumin, etc. 

Spices are being used by Indians for thousands of years now, Indians use them for both culinary and medicinal purposes. Spices have been cultivated in India since the early 8th century BC, Sushruta an ancient Indian surgeon used white mustard for his treatments, which proves the relationship between India and spices. Some of those spices and their medicinal effects are as follows.

Turmeric:

They are used in mostly all of the curry dishes in India. It is grown as a rhizome and can be used after dried or fresh. It contains an antibacterial substance called lipopolysaccharide which helps to stimulate the human immune system. There is a habit of drinking turmeric milk in India, when you have cold, fever or dry cough.

Clove:

Cloves are antibacterial and antiseptic. They are the rich sources of omega 3 fatty acids, vitamins and fibres. It is used in many ayurvedic remedies for cough and cold and shields your body from infections. It is used as an antiseptic and pain reliever for toothaches and stomach pain.

Cardamom:

Cardamom is the most commonly used spice in Indian cooking. It is a rich source of vitamin A, vitamin C, iron, calcium and zinc. It promotes heart health and helps in digestion, diabetes, depressions, prevents blood clots and enhances oral health.

Cumin:

Cumin is the spice that is used to add smoky flavor to Indian dishes. It helps in restoring skin disorders, insomnia, anemia and helps in digestion, asthma, bronchitis and respiratory disorders. Boiled cumin water has been used as a Indian household remedy for digestive disorders for centuries now.

Fenugreek:

Fenugreek is a powerhouse of medicinal values that helps you in treating stomach problems like ulcer, etc. It helps in digestion and has the ability to heal internal wounds in your food pipe and stomach. It increases libido in men and promotes milk-flow in mothers. 

Black Pepper:

Black pepper is also a most commonly used spice in Indian households. It helps relieve cough and cold, promotes weight loss, boosts metabolism and improves digestion. It is also known as the king of spices. 

Coriander:

It is one of the oldest spices in the world. Coriander seeds have natural anti-oxidant properties and dietary fibres, that helps in healthy activity of the liver and helps in bowel movements. 

Mustard:

It is a staple ingredient of most of the indian dishes. Mustard is best known to remove symptoms of arthritis and helps to relieve pain and stimulates appetite. They are the rich sources of MUFA, which can help you in removing bad and excess cholesterol in your body and promotes heart health.

From all these medicinal values we can know that even when eaten once, they contribute a lot in relieving any simple disease like cold, caugh, early fever, etc. But when we consider that Indians are eating them every single day since their first meal, it is understandable that it contributes a lot to our immune system and physical health.

Spices are the best and easily available sources of immune boosting vitamins and minerals, the fact that they were included in ancient India’s herbal medicines proves that fact. Majority of the Indians chew clove and cardamom wrapped in betel-nut leaves after a heavy meal. And there is a scientific reason to back this up, it is said that chewing this combo after a meal, increases the flow of salia to your stomach and it ultimately helps in digestion.

It is important for every single human to take care of himself and make sure that he is perfectly healthy. Recent instances have proven that an individual’s decision does not affect only him, but is surroundings too. This gives us even more reason to take care of ourselves and following a diet that builds immunity and keeps oneself healthy is an important duty to be followed properly.

Author: Team 60Plus India