Our favorite culinary herbs aren’t just delicious additions to recipes, they also have incredibly positive benefits to our health too. Herbs have been used medicinally for thousands of years by cultures all over the world to prevent and treat human complaints like headaches, colds, digestive problems, fatigue, and more. With modern scientific methods, we’ve been able to discover and extract the active ingredients in many herbs, leading to the production of several of the remedies we find today on pharmacy shelves. In fact, according to the University of Maryland Medical Center, about one quarter of pharmaceutical drugs were originally derived from botanical sources. In recent years, however, the expense of synthetically produced drugs as well as a desire to explore more natural ways of treating illness has led to a renewed interest in the health benefits of natural remedies including herbs.
So, both ancient and modern cultures have benefited from the healing power of herbs. Nutritionist Ellie Krieger says we know that herbs are packed with protective polyphenols, a class of plant compounds with strong anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, antifungal, and antimicrobial properties that provide many healthful benefits. And some of the benefits are quite surprising. For example, sage – which tastes so good cooked with pork or mixed into stuffing – is also known to have profound positive effects on brain function and memory. According to healthline.com, one of the hallmarks of Alzheimer’s disease is decreased levels of acetylcholine in the brain. Acetylcholine is an important chemical messenger, and sage has been shown to slow its breakdown in the brain. Another favorite culinary herb, rosemary, is known to suppress allergic reactions and nasal congestion. And many pregnant moms know that peppermint is a delicious and healthy way to combat the nausea associated with morning sickness. Herbs are also loaded with healthy vitamins and minerals, and many are good sources of fiber too.
The more we learn how herbs can benefit our health, the more intrigued we get. That’s why we’re excited for Herbal Health, an upcoming seminar in our Urban Homesteader series, led by Cornell Garrett. Cornell is an expert in herbal medicine, and he’s going to share some of the health secrets your humble herb garden has been hiding under all that delicious taste and aroma. Throughout the seminar, Cornell will discuss the medicinal benefits of several culinary herbs and discuss the practical ways we can use them to support systems within the body, including digestion, alertness, and immunity. He’ll share tips for growing, harvesting, and cooking with herbs too. And along the way, Cornell will introduce different approaches to herbal medicine including Traditional Chinese Medicine or TCM. He’ll explain the eight principle patterns of TCM, a method of recognizing patterns of disharmony in the body and how they relate to illnesses that affect our health. Each principle is characterized by where the illness originates, its location in the body, and the symptoms it produces, and Cornell will talk about how herbs are used as a natural way to treat and prevent these illnesses.
If you’re as curious as we are to learn how that tasty little oregano and the other culinary herbs can support our healthy minds and bodies, we invite you to join us for Herbal Health on Saturday, March 24th, at 10am and 2pm. We’re looking forward to seeing you there.
