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Healthy Christmas spices - use and healing effects
contents
- gingerbread
- Christmas spices - anise
- cinnamon
- cardamom
- cloves
- nutmeg
- pimento
- star anise
- Caraway seed
- vanilla
- saffron
- chocolate
- Cocoa, not fat and sugar
- Cocoa makes you happy
- Better than spinach
- No substitute for medicines
gingerbread
Gingerbread is ours for Advent. The classic gingerbread, for example from Nuremberg, contain little fat if they are not coated with chocolate, plus anise, cardamom, cloves, coriander, allspice, ginger and cinnamon. These spices promote digestion, relieve cramps and stimulate bile. The nuts contained in gingerbread provide fiber, which saturates and contributes to a healthy intestinal balance.
Whether cardamom, cloves or cinnamon: many of the spices in gingerbread have health benefits. (Photo: fotofabrika / fotolia.com) Christmas spices - anise
In anise it is unclear whether it was first used as a medicinal plant or spice. The fruits taste sweet, and children like them too. Anis is an all-around helper for ailments just below a level that requires medical attention. The seeds act diuretic, they relax, dissolve mucus like cramps.
Anise relieves fatigue such as bronchitis, nausea and headache. He is also a proven home remedy for flatulence and stomach discomfort.
The fruits contain anethole, isoanethol, ansiketone, anisic acid, acetaldehyde, azulen, eugenol, coumarins, thymol, vitamin C and other substances that are important for the body.
cinnamon
Cinnamon is good for your health. It contains essential oils, moderate enjoyment of the spice, whether as a powder or rod lowers in diabetics the level of glucose, fats and LDL cholesterol. Cinnamon has a positive effect on digestion and blood pressure.
Cinnamon helps with gastrointestinal symptoms such as flatulence, bloating and loss of appetite. (Image: Jiri Hera / fotolia.com) cardamom
Cardamom determines the typical gingerbread flavor with its gingery flavor. Often without knowing it, it provides the "Christmas smell" of mulled wine and speculoos. The spice stimulates the stomach acid and makes heavy food compatible.
The substance gingerol helps against a feeling of nausea in the stomach and slows down the nausea. The essential oil Cineol is effective against colds, generally protects against bacteria and dissolves mucus. It also promotes a pleasant-smelling breath.
cloves
Cloves are a proven home remedy for bloating and bloating, they promote the appetite and calm the stomach. They are therefore ideal for improving the digestion of fatty Christmas foods. The substance eugenol helps against toothache.
Carnations inhibit inflammation, disinfect and release cramps.
nutmeg
Here, the dose makes the poison, because nutmeg in higher amounts is toxic, from four grams in adults. On the other hand, nutmeg promotes blood circulation in a small amount and calms blood pressure, relieves muscle pain and stomach ailments. It also helps to fall asleep.
Nutmeg has a very positive effect on health in small quantities. But beware: Even four grams of the spice can cause symptoms of intoxication. (Image: oxie99 / fotolia.com) pimento
The clove or allspice taxonomically does not belong to the horse family, but comes from the tropical America. The peppery name was given to the myrtle plant, because the pungent taste reminds of pepper, but also of cinnamon, nutmeg or cloves.
The clove pepper contains a lot of eugenol, and this substance provides the flavor. The natives of Mexico added cocoa with allspice to the drink "Xocolatl", from which our chocolate is derived.
Allspice works against stomach and intestinal discomfort, and it also soothes stress.
star anise
Star anise is found in Christmas biscuits. It is obtained from a magnolia that grows in Japan, China and Vietnam. The essential oils dissolve cramps and mucus and inhibit inflammation.
If you sometimes think of cough syrup while enjoying Christmas cookies, you're right. This often contains star anise.
Star anise is often used as a Christmas spice for baking. These are the dried, star-shaped fruits of an oriental magnolia tree. (Image: Floydine / fotolia.com)Caraway seed
Caraway does not happen to be a spice for heavy foods like cabbage, potatoes or roast goose. It stimulates bile, relieves bloating and stomach cramps.
vanilla
Vanilla has a permanent place in the Christmas bakery. These are the capsule fruits of an orchid genus, in contrast to the artificial vanilla, whose taste is only a bad copy.
Scientific studies did not provide any clear evidence of the effect of vanilla. But there are indications that substances of the orchid work against fungi and inflammation. The Aztecs used vanilla extract to boost their performance, while other Indians in the Americas used the orchid to fight sleep disorders.
Mexican women rub themselves with vanilla to increase their sexual attractiveness. This could have a true core, because the scents of the pods resemble human pheromones.
saffron
No spice is as hard to produce in quantities as saffron; These are the inflorescences of tiny crocuses. 250,000 flowers make about a pound. The yellow stamens give the saffron its typical color, but only the three red stamps of the female sexual organ contain the spice.
The threads must be plucked immediately from the flower, then they are heated in a sieve over a small fire. The weight shrinks to about 20%.
In antiquity, saffron was not a spice but an extremely expensive remedy.
It works against inflammation, pain and is antioxidant. Iranians and Arabs use saffron for regular and stomach aches. It should also help against colds, but for the people in the countries of origin prefer to fall back on cheap alternatives.
Saffron is the most expensive spice in the world. It is obtained by hand from the flower scars of a crocus species. (Image: yuliiaholovchenko / fotolia.com) chocolate
Christmas chocolate is considered a fadder par excellence. Surplus sugar is of course unhealthy. 100 grams of chocolate contain almost 500 calories, which is a quarter of the calories that a moderate adult should eat every day.
However, dark chocolate contains flavonols, these are in cocoa. Dark chocolate contains up to 90% cocoa, milk chocolate at least 25% and white chocolate only contains cocoa butter. Flavonols are phytochemicals that lower blood pressure and make blood vessels more elastic. They are designed to expand the coronary arteries, but this effect is too low to see cocoa here as a "remedy". If you have heart problems, ask your cardiologist for appropriate medicine.
The active substance theobromine in cocoa has a similar effect to caffeine. In addition, according to a British study, it relieves the coughing sensation of colds, from a quantity equal to six cups of cocoa.
Cocoa, not fat and sugar
The health bonus of chocolate is therefore the cocoa. Cocoa also contains magnesium, iron and calcium, beta-carotene, as well as vitamins E, B1, B2 and niacin.
A Swiss study showed that chocolate with high cocoa content blocks the release of stress hormones. So, when you reach for chocolate under stress, you intuitively do the right thing - as long as it's no more than a few pieces a day.
Cocoa makes you happy
Cocoa, at least in raw form, supports the release of neurotransmitters that bring happiness, endorphins and serotonin. These are exactly the substances that make us euphoric.
Better than spinach
Dark chocolate contains twice as much iron as spinach, about 7 milligrams per 100 grams. However, you can eat far more than double the amount of spinach without increasing it.
No substitute for medicines
Caution: Anise, cinnamon or cloves have a positive effect on health, but they are not medicines, but spices. Essential oils and thus the active ingredients contained in them volatilize during cooking. If you season just before the end of cooking, you can get many of the active ingredients. (Dr. Utz Anhalt)