6 Anti-Inflammatory Herbs And How To Use Them

Last updated on 13 MAR 2019

If you do not use herbs and spice in your cooking, you are missing out. Herbs are not only useful for adding flavor to your meals, they offer a wide range of amazing health benefits, including the ability to help improve your immune system.

Here, you will find a selection of the best herbs that you can include in your diet to strengthen your immune system, along with a juicing recipe that includes two of the most beneficial herbs.

Juicing provides an effective way to get nutrients and minerals from fresh produce and herbs. Most food items, when cooked, begin to lose some of their nutritional value, which is not an issue with juicing recipes.

Look over the various herbs that are most useful for boosting your immune system and then try out the juice recipe below that includes some herbs.

6 Anti-Inflammatory Herbs And How To Use Them

1. Peppermint

Peppermint packs an abundance of minerals, such as potassium, calcium, and magnesium. Magnesium is needed for the healthy production of any type of cells within your body.

Peppermint is often used to treat digestive issues like gas/bloating, IBS, and reducing gastritis-related symptoms.

It may protect against DNA damage and cells degeneration caused by chemotherapy and radiation.

As an expectorant and decongestant, it is useful for clearing nasal congestion and relieve respiratory inflammation.

Read about the health benefits of peppermint tea.

2. Echinacea

Echinacea is a great source for vitamins A, C, and E, as well as potassium and copper. It also has a good amount of phytonutrients, such as vanillin, betaine, and kaempferol. All parts of the Echinacea plant are edible and full of nutrients.

Drinking echinacea tea or including the herbs in your juices helps to reduce inflammatory conditions like rheumatoid arthritis, eye inflammation, and gout.

It works as a great pain-killer and reduces various kinds of pains: stomach aches, headaches, sore throats, tonsillitis, toothache and muscles ache.

3. Thyme

Thyme is an herb from the mint family, used for both cooking and for medicinal reasons. It has a great variety of vitamins and minerals, including vitamin K, manganese, dietary fiber, and calcium.

Thyme has a unique quality that makes it beneficial for lowering high blood pressure normally, treat acne and boost the immune system.

Its fungicidal properties make it useful to be used as a disinfectant, and for alleviating cough and other respiratory problems.

Thyme is best used raw. Add to your salads or green smoothies.

4. Rosemary

Rosemary contains iron, vitamins A, B6, and C, folate, and phosphorus. As with thyme and peppermint, use rosemary fresh, to preserve the nutrients.

Rosemary has memory and mood enhancing properties that improve mental health and elevates mood.

It is an anti-inflammatory that reduces pain, helps clear the lungs, throat, sinus and respiratory conditions.

Consuming rosemary fresh in tea infusion has proven beneficial for the digestive system, treating upset stomach, constipation, indigestion and excellent for boosting the immune system.

5.  Ginger

Ginger is common herb with a wide variety of vitamins and minerals. With ginger, you get phosphorus, potassium, zinc, copper, thiamine, and magnesium, just to name a few.

Ginger has antibacterial properties that makes it beneficial for healing of digestive disorders such as IBS, gas/bloating, indigestion, nausea, and diarrhea. At the same time, it strengthens the immune system, preventing common cold, cough and fever.

Like most herbs, ginger has high antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties to help relieve various inflammatory disorders, provide substantial relief in pain, and help reduce swelling and morning stiffness.

Add fresh ginger into all your juices to benefit from all it has to offer. Only use ginger powder if you don’t have access to fresh ginger.

6. Turmeric

The super food of herbs and spices, turmeric is one of the most beneficial spices for strengthening your immune system and improving your health.

It contains potassium, calcium, iron, magnesium, folate, vitamins C and K, as well as lycopene, selenium, and manganese.

The high content of antioxidants help neutralize free radicals and reduce cellular damage. It has curcumin, a phytonutrient that is beneficial for destroying mutated cancer cells and retards tumor growth.

Turmeric can also be used as a natural pain reliever and an anti-inflammatory for relieving aches, pains, headaches, stiffness and swelling. Add turmeric in your juicing and use turmeric powder only if you can’t get the fresh ones.

Healthy Juice Recipe

The following drink is great for strengthening the immune system, beat inflammation, increase energy, and improve eyesight and skin.

This juice recipe makes a great green juice that is delicious, and a good way to include at least two herbs for their excellent anti-inflammatory benefits.

• 1 cup of pineapple
• 6-8 leaves of kale
• 1 green apple
• ½ lemon
• A bunch of mint leaves
• 1-inch piece of ginger root

Make conscious efforts to include any of the above herbs in your juices, and find other creative ways to include them into preparing your daily meals. The more of a variety that you include in your diet, the more benefits you will get.

References:
www.steadyhealth.com/articles/herbs-to-boost-and-build-a-healthy-immune-system

About Sara Ding

Sara Ding is the founder of Juicing-for-Health.com. She is a certified Wellness Health Coach, Nutritional Consultant and a Detox Specialist. She helps busy men and women identify their health issues at the root cause, in order to eliminate the problems for optimum physical/mental health and wellbeing.

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