There are many health benefits to be gained from adding herbs and spices to your diet. Some of the healthiest herbs and spices include ginger, turmeric, garlic, and cayenne pepper. Each of these herbs and spices has unique health properties that can help improve your overall health. Additionally, these herbs and spices are easy to grow in your home garden. Read on to find out more about why the herbs and spices are good to eat and how you can grow them yourself!
Ginger
Ginger is a very popular herb that has been used in cuisines throughout the world for generations. Ginger’s health benefits are vast and include treating nausea, motion sickness, migraine headaches, arthritis pain, and menstruation cramps. In addition to providing you with relief from those ailments, ginger also improves digestion by stimulating saliva enzymes produced in the mouth. Along with these many health benefits, ginger is also easy to grow, making it a perfect herb to have in your garden!
To grow ginger at home, make sure your soil is sandy and drains well because ginger does not like wet feet! The best time to harvest ginger is approximately 100 days after planting. If you want to grow more than one plant, make sure each plant has about five feet of space between it. Ginger is harvested most effectively when the stem is one to two inches thick, so wait until this point before harvesting your ginger roots.
Tumeric
Turmeric has been used medicinally throughout India for centuries. The health benefits of turmeric are vast, including the potential to decrease inflammation and pain associated with arthritis. In addition to being packed full of antioxidants that have anti-inflammatory properties, turmeric also helps keep depression at bay by producing serotonin in the brain. However, to grow turmeric at home, you must first decide whether your climate allows for year-round growth or if you will be growing it indoors during colder months.
If you live in a warmer climate where plants can stay outdoors year-round, plant your turmeric root about four inches deep and water well! Keep track of how much water your plant is getting because turmeric likes plenty of sun and moist soil but cannot handle too much water.
If you choose to grow your turmeric indoors during colder months, first start by soaking the turmeric root in a bowl of warm water for 24 hours. Once this period has passed, plant your turmeric root about 4 inches deep and keep it well-watered throughout growth. Harvesting turmeric is easy! Pull up the entire plant once it reaches between 1 and 2 feet tall. Then, peel away the skin from the roots and use as desired!
Garlic
Garlic is another popular spice that provides many health benefits. For example, garlic reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease and cancer, including potentially lowering your cholesterol levels and blood pressure even if you are genetically predisposed to high levels of these vital indicators. This antioxidant-rich herb also fights colds by stimulating white blood cell production, reduces pain associated with osteoarthritis by inhibiting inflammatory prostaglandin activity, and prevents infections like the flu.
To grow garlic at home, make sure it receives six hours of full sun per day and keep well watered during growth! Also, be mindful not to overwater because garlic doesn’t like wet feet either! When deciding what variety of garlic to plant, pay attention to its intended purpose, whether cooking or medicinal. If you want to cook with it, look for soft neck garlic because it keeps its flavor after being cooked.
Rosemary
The health benefits of growing rosemary are vast as well. Most notably, providing relief from heartburn, decreasing inflammation, including chronic joint pain due to osteoarthritis, improving digestion by stimulating saliva enzymes produced in the mouth, preventing cancer, and potentially even treating urinary tract infections. Rosemary is also an effective mosquito repellent, which can come in handy during the summer months or even when traveling abroad!
To grow rosemary at home, make sure it receives six hours of full sun per day and keep well watered throughout growth! Harvesting your rosemary is simple. Pull up plants once they are near three feet tall or when the woody stem becomes difficult to bend. Twist off leaves as you need them for cooking or medicinal purposes.
Oregano
Oregano is popularly used as a staple in Italian cuisine, but this herb has been used medicinally throughout the world for centuries. Oregano has been shown to have intense antioxidant activity and could even help fight cancerous cell development. This herb also fights colds by stimulating antibody production and preventing infections due to its antimicrobial properties.
To grow oregano at home, ensure it receives six hours of full sun per day and keep well watered during growth! Once your oregano plant is nearly two feet tall, harvest leaves from the top part of the plant just before it begins blooming.
Cayenne Pepper
Cayenne pepper is an excellent choice for those looking to spice up their weight loss regime, as it helps boost metabolism. It also contains capsaicin which reduces the risk of heart disease and prostate cancer by increasing your body’s heat production! Cayenne pepper can also relieve osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis pain by inhibiting inflammatory prostaglandin activity!
Remember that cayenne peppers are hot, so be mindful of what you touch after handling them! To grow cayenne peppers at home, plant some seeds every two inches in a pot of moist soil. Keep the soil moist but not wet throughout growth and harvest once they turn red! These plants prefer full sun exposure, so be sure to keep them well-watered during growth.
Conclusion
There are so many health benefits to growing herbs and spices at home; why not give it a try? Many of these plants grow well indoors on a sunny window sill, so you don’t have to worry about the hassles of outdoor gardening. In addition, these plants can be harvested as needed throughout their growth cycle, which means that you will always have fresh ingredients ready for cooking! So try your hand at some of these healthy options. You won’t regret it!
