5 Top Healing Herbs
You can really increase the effectiveness of your home remedies to promote all types of healing in your body by using herbs. Herbs have been used for centuries by many cultures for healing, but only recently has science begun to confirm the ability of herbs to cut arthritis pain, cut blood sugar and cholesterol levels and to assist our bodies with other types of conditions.
Some of the best healing herbs for your medicine cabinet are:
#1 Tumeric for Arthritis
Did you know that a helping of curry with your food could ward off pain? This is because turmeric is a spice that is common in curry. It contains curcumin, which is a strong anti-inflammatory that works very much like a Cox-2 inhibitor. This is an enzyme used in many drugs that can reduce the swelling and pain of arthritis.
Tumeric also can be used to ward off colon cancer and even Alzheimer’s Disease. It is recommended by experts to try to add this spice to your meals whenever you can. For a therapeutic remedy, you should try 400 mg of curcumin three times per day.
#2 Cinnamon to Lower Blood Sugar
A recent study showed that if you take cinnamon extract every day, it can be helpful in decreasing your blood sugar by as much as 10%. This means that it can be helpful in controlling your type 2 diabetes. Also, cinnamon has been shown to have the ability to reduce cholesterol levels in people with type 2 diabetes. Another study showed that the use of this herb could cut cholesterol by 13%!
To have the maximum effect on your blood sugar levels, you should take a one gram capsule per day.
#3 Ginger for Nausea
Ginger is very useful for taming an upset stomach for many reasons, such as for motion sickness, pregnancy and chemotherapy. Ginger is a powerful antioxidant that blocks the effects of serotionin on the body. This is a chemical that your stomach and brain make when you feel nauseated. In a study of cruise ship passengers, 500 mg of ginger every four hours worked as well as Dramamine and it did not make you sleepy.
Also, ginger can be very useful for cutting your blood pressure, cancer risk and arthritis pain.
For nausea, the best thing to do is to take ginger before your symptoms begin, at least 30 minutes before any activity.
#4 St. John’s Wort for Stress and Anxiety
Research has confirmed that this herb can help to prevent mild to moderate depression and anxiety. It actually can be just as effective as many drugs but without the debilitating side effects. Also, this herb can help you to sleep better. It contains melatonin, which is the hormone that regulates our sleeping and waking cycles.
#5 Garlic for Fighting Cancer
Eating a lot of garlic or taking garlic pills can reduce levels of ovarian and colon cancer, according to a research paper in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. It also can help to decrease your high blood pressure by as much as 30 points.
