The Healing Power Of Herbs

Used for centuries by herbalists, science is now beginning to confirm the health benefits of a host of everyday kitchen herbs and spices, says Patsy Westcott

Essential in the kitchen, the health-boosting credentials of herbs and spices has, until now, relied on their traditional use over centuries. But new scientific findings are adding credibility to claims that herbs and spices fight disease. Indeed their wide use in countries such as France, Spain, Greece and Italy is thought to be one reason the Mediterranean diet is considered the healthiest in the world.

ROSEMARY

This humble aromatic herb, widely used in Mediterranean cuisine, is currently attracting the attention of international experts seeking to uncover the secrets of the remarkable longevity of 300 centenarians from the Italian fishing village of Acciaroli. The villagers, known for their liberal use of rosemary in cooking, not only routinely live to 100+, but are astonishingly free of heart disease and Alzheimer’s.

This comes as no surprise to Dr Mark Moss, whose own studies of rosemary essential oil have convinced him that it improves memory, especially long-term and so-called “prospective” memory that we use to remind us to do things. “Rosemary is packed with potentially bioactive ingredients, one of which, 1,8-cineole, seems to prevent the breakdown of acetylcholine, the brain’s main messenger chemical, which is key to memory,” he observes. Acetylcholine levels tend to decline with age, leading to those harmless, though irritating, senior moments – medically known as age-associated memory impairment. Meanwhile, in people with Alzheimer’s, levels of acetylcholine can fall by up to 9%.

And rosemary is not alone – a slew of other everyday kitchen standbys are being newly appraised by scientists. Read on for our pick of the best.

SAGE