herbs | Health Topics | NutritionFacts.org

Topic summary contributed by volunteer(s): Selena

Some of the earliest populations have called upon the medicinal benefits of herbs to treat a variety of ailments. Herbs have some of the highest antioxidants levels. Just a dash of herbs has the power to reduce inflammation and may even protect against DNA damage (see also here). Combining herbs can increase their benefits by boosting the bioavailability of some of the compounds they contain.

Hydroponic basil may be richer in antioxidants than soil-grown basil due to the higher amount of stress the plant is placed under. Pregnant women should be wary of feverfew and black cohosh, which was surprisingly recommended at health food stores. When it comes to herbs, however, it is best to stay away from retail supplement suppliers as their claims as recommendations, and ingredients are often unreliable and may be dangerous. In the case of Ayurvedic medicine, it may even be contaminated with lead and other heavy metals.

For substantiation of any statements of fact from the peer-reviewed medical literature, please see the associated videos below.

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Herbs

34 videos

All Videos for Herbs

Dr. Greger and the presentation title on a blue background

How Not To Age – Live Presentation

In this live lecture, Dr. Greger offers a sneak peek into his latest book, How Not to Age, a New York Times Best Seller.

Teacup with steam rising in front of a serene nature background

Does Coffee Inhibit Iron Absorption? What Are the Effects of Having Too Much Iron?

Coffee and common herbal teas impair iron absorption, which may help explain some of their benefits.

roasted pumpkin seeds on cloth over black surface

Food for Hair Growth

Hot peppers, soy foods, and pumpkin seeds may help with hair loss.

jars of various legumes and beans

Blocking the Cancer Metastasis Enzyme MMP-9 with Beans and Chickpeas

Which legumes are best at inhibiting the matrix metalloproteinase enzymes that allow cancer to become invasive?

Corkscrew and bottle of wine from above.

Ochratoxin in Certain Herbs, Spices, and Wine

Most food crops are contaminated with fungal mycotoxins, but some foods are worse than others.

Are Weight Loss Supplements Effective?

Are Weight-Loss Supplements Effective?

Are there any safe and effective dietary supplements for weight loss?

Are Weight Loss Supplements Safe?

Are Weight-Loss Supplements Safe?

Only 2 out of 12 supplement companies were found to have products that were even accurately labeled.

Easy Veggie Tacos

Recipe: Easy Veggie Tacos

This recipe for Veggie Tacos comes from staff member Ángela.

close-up of curly kale

Pros and Cons of a Macrobiotic Diet

What happens when you put diabetics on a diet composed of largely whole grains, vegetables, and beans?

Dr. Greger’s Daily Dozen Checklist

In my book How Not to Die, I center my recommendations around a Daily Dozen checklist of everything I try to fit into my daily routine.

The Best Food for Fibroids

The Best Food for Fibroids

Women with uterine fibroids should consider adding green tea to their daily diet, as a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled interventional trial suggests it may help as well as surgery.

Dr. Greger’s Daily Dozen Checklist

Dr. Greger’s Daily Dozen Checklist

In my book How Not to Die, I center my recommendations around a Daily Dozen checklist of all the things I try to fit into my daily routine.

Benefits of Rosemary for Brain Function

Benefits of Rosemary for Brain Function

A half teaspoon of dried rosemary can improve cognitive function.

Best Foods for Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS)

Best Foods for Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS)

Which foods and cooking methods should we choose and avoid, given the role advanced glycation end products (glycotoxins) may play in polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS)?

Benefits of Marjoram for Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS)

Benefits of Marjoram for Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS)

Even a small amount of fresh herbs can double or even quadruple the antioxidant power of a meal. The abilities of oregano to decrease chromosomal damage from radiation and marjoram to affect hormone levels in women with PCOS are put to the test.

How Not to Die: An Animated Summary

How Not to Die: An Animated Summary

We have tremendous power over our health destiny and longevity.

Turmeric or Curcumin: Plants vs. Pills

Turmeric or Curcumin: Plants vs. Pills

Curcumin-free turmeric, from which the so-called active ingredient has been removed, may be as effective or even more potent.

Treating Acne with Barberries

Treating Acne with Barberries

What happens when the most antioxidant-packed dried fruit available is put to the test in a double-blind randomized placebo-controlled clinical trial for moderate to severe acne?

Peppermint Oil for Irritable Bowel Syndrome

Peppermint Oil for Irritable Bowel Syndrome

Peppermint essential oil should be considered the first-line treatment for IBS.

Treating Asthma With Plants vs. Supplements?

Treating Asthma with Plants vs. Supplements?

Whole fruits and vegetables were compared to both antioxidant pills, as well as supplements containing fruits and vegetable extracts, for their ability to treat seasonal allergies, improve lung function, and control asthma.

Boosting the Bioavailability of Curcumin

Boosting the Bioavailability of Curcumin

Dietary strategies, including the use of black pepper (piperine), can boost blood levels of curcumin from the spice turmeric by up to 2,000%.

Spicing Up DNA Protection

Spicing Up DNA Protection

The DNA of those cooking with spices such as ginger, rosemary, and turmeric appears less susceptible to breakage.

Which Spices Fight Inflammation?

Which Spices Fight Inflammation?

An elegant experiment is described in which the blood of those eating different types of spices—such as cloves, ginger, rosemary, and turmeric—is tested for anti-inflammatory capacity.

pile of dried tarragon

The Safety of Tarragon

Longstanding concerns about certain isolated components of the spice tarragon have broadened into questions about the safety of even the leaves themselves.

plant based diets and cellular stress

Plant-Based Diets and Cellular Stress Defenses

Measuring the effects of a plant-based diet on the expression of hundreds of different genes at a time, a research group found that an antioxidant-rich portfolio of plant foods such as berries, pomegranates, purple grapes, red cabbage, oregano, and walnuts was able to significantly modify the regulation of genes in the blood of volunteers.

Is Hydroponic Basil as Healthy?

The antioxidant, phytonutrient, and vitamin content of basil grown in water (hydroponic) is compared to basil grown in soil.

two chamomile flowers

Chamomile Tea May Not Be Safe During Pregnancy

For the same reason aspirin should be avoided in pregnancy, chamomile has such powerful anti-inflammatory properties that regular consumption may result in a serious fetal heart problem—premature constriction of the fetal ductus arteriosus, which allows the fetus to “breathe” in the womb.

aisles in a health food store

Dangerous Advice from Health Food Store Employees

Employees in natural food stores have been caught giving advice that is not only scientifically baseless, but also risky and downright dangerous.

Bad Advice from Health Food Store Employees

Most health food store supplement aisle employees have little or no training and make wildly dissimilar recommendations. Even when they’re consistent, the levels of active ingredients in supplements may not be. We should not assume the multibillion dollar supplement industry has our best interests any closer to heart than the pharmaceutical industry.

Get the Lead Out

Get the Lead Out

Toxic heavy metal contamination of Ayurvedic dietary supplements is, in most cases, intentional.

empty cans of paint

Some Ayurvedic Medicine Worse than Lead Paint Exposure

Triphala, a combination of three fruits—amla, bibhitaki, and haritaki—is the most commonly used herbal formulation in Ayurvedic medicine, and may have powerful anticancer properties. Unfortunately, one in five Ayurvedic herbal dietary supplements were found contaminated with lead, mercury, and/or arsenic.

Antioxidants in a pinch

Antioxidants in a Pinch

Some herbs and spices—including cinnamon, cloves, lemon balm, marjoram, oregano, and peppermint—are so rich in antioxidants that just a small pinch can go a long way.

close up of a salad with tomatoes, cucumbers, lettuce and dried herbs

Dietary Guidelines: It’s All Greek to the USDA

Unlike the United States, where the agriculture department is the lead agency on formulating dietary recommendations, other countries such as Greece rely on their health department. What do their dietary guidelines look like?

bar chart comparing the antioxidant content of various foods

Antioxidant Content of 3,139 Foods

In the most extensive study of its kind ever published, the amount of anti-aging anticancer antioxidants is measured across thousands of different foods.

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