HEALTH BENEFITS OF CULINARY HERBS AND SPICES
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 WHAT ARE HERBS?
In the curlinary arts the word herb refers to any green or bein part of a plant used for seasoning and flavouring a recipe but not used as the main ingredient.
Hebs are natural form of wide plants or their parts such as plower, ol, stem rich in bioactive chemical compounds so called herbiceuticals”. The main difference between pharmaceutical drug and herbal principles is their isolation method and purification level.
Herbs are ric in natural complex chemicals, bioactive herbal principles (whole herbs, extracts or concentrates) may be used as “bioactive herbal formulations” as combinations of different active chemicals of plants or their parts combined with know enzyme inhibitoes, vitamins and alkalizing minerals that have in healt promoting, disease preventing or semi medional properties.
1.2 TYPES OF HERBS
Herbs are harvested from leaves of herbaeous (meaning nonwoody) plants. Here are some types of herbs
⦁ Thyme: it is an antisoptic, its good asa a mouth rinse when infused in hot water ( cool and strain), also good for killing germs around your house, infuse, and use in a spray bottle with a 5m amt of white vinegar and top off with distilled water.
⦁ Garlic: when planting your own herbs, garlic is a great addition to your garden. It is one of those edible herbs that is aluesome in just about anything you put it in. it is more of an onion.
⦁ Bay leaf: this is great in soups and stews and is grown as a bush in the wild that get quite large. However, in a small pot in your kitchen, it is quite easy to monitors.
⦁ Bail: it is quite popular as for as edible herbs. It is great in tomato sources and other tomato dishes. It requires a lot of sun, and demands that you pinch off the ripe leaves so it will continue to get bigger.
⦁ Chives: when it comes to the type of herbs you put in your food on a regular basis, you donts want to forget about chives. As far as adile herbs go. Chives are great in potatoes, dips and even as a garnish to a lot of creamy soups. They grow up like tall grass and easily clipped when needed.
⦁ Dill: it is one of the common herbs that is not only great in dips and solad dressings, bat it is a wonderful smelling plant just to have in the garden
1.3 EXAMPLES OF HERBS
Herbs (there are many, but here are some): cinnamon, peppermint garlic, chivers (yes), angelic rosemary, sunflower, dogrose, bay, aloevera, balm of gilead, dill, foxglove etc
Remember, while some herbs we use oiten in meals, others, are poisonous. Learn about them before you even touch them. Foxglove. For example, while it may be used in medicine to treat heart problems, are poisonous otherwise.
1.4 USES OF HERBS
Herbs can be beneficial for those who are tying to cut back on fat, sugar and salt in their foods. Pay adding extra flovour to a dish with herbs. You may be able to reduce the amount of fats from ingredients such as cheese, butter or oil. Some herbs can also in decreasing the need for added salt in a recipe, this include dill seeds. Garlic power e.t.c here is the uses of some herbs.
⦁ Garlic Used to treat yeast infections in women, used as an antibiotic to reduce cholesterol and high blood pressure. It is also used in preparing salad and salad dressing
⦁ Thyme It is crushed and applied to clean cuts and abrasious as an antisoptic. In tea form, it is used for colds menstrual cramps and to calm the stomach.
⦁ Chamomile It is used as a sedative. It also reduces fever relieves digestive ailments.
⦁ Cinnamon It is used to control blood sugar levels, and it also treats urinary tract and yeast infections.
⦁ Cloves Used as a wound antiseptic, also used to treat diarrhea.
⦁ Angelica rosemary Used to calm the digestive system, and in oil form can be rubbed into muscles to relieve soreness and increase circulation.
⦁ basil Goes well with all tomato dishes cooled or fresh, solad dressing etc
⦁ Dill Used in salad dessing and also serve as wonderful smelling plant just to have in the garden.
⦁ Bay leaf Used in soup, stew, sauces and also add a rustic flavor to onion.
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