100% healthy with fall spices

Great news: Experts say the spices that give your favorite fall dishes their warm flavors are also a boon for your health!

- Brenda Kearns  

Spice your way to a beautiful smile!

Keep a small jar of fennel seeds handy so you can chew 1⁄4 tsp. of them after any meal that you can’t follow up with a good brushing. Indian scientists say fennel’s anethole kills troublesome, cavity-forming bacteria on contact. And anethole also shuts down damaging tissue inflammation, cutting your risk of developing red, swollen, sensitive gums in half.

Soothe joint pain with ginger compresses

You may have heard that eating ginger can soothe achy joints. Now, Italian researchers say you can get the painkilling powers of this medicinal root without even adding it to meals. That’s because the spice’s gingerols that curb inflammation and speed tissue healing can also be absorbed through skin. To get the benefits, apply a warm, ginger tea–soaked compress to achy spots for 15 minutes twice daily. Scientists say doing so could reduce joint swelling, stiffness and pain by 50% in as little as one week.

Conquer colds with oregano soaks