Turmeric

It’s pretty much my favorite spice, not only for the almost encyclopedic list of health benefits, but also for the taste. It’s actually a member of the ginger family, and the plant’s healing properties reside in its fingerlike stalk. It is known for alleviating arthritis and joint inflammation, even carpal tunnel syndrome.

And then there’s cancer. There are at least 30 published studies indicating that the active compound in turmeric, curcumin, has an antitumor effect.

Curcumin also has a positive effect on cholesterol and has powerful antioxidant properties as well. Curcumin is a very liver-friendly food, making it something I like to recommend for people with various liver ailments, including hepatitis.

Jonny Bowden, PhD, CNS, author of The 150 Healthiest Foods on Earth

Oregano

Oregano is rich in a host of nutrients, including calcium, magnesium, zinc, iron, potassium, copper, boron, manganese, vitamin C, vitamin A, and niacin, and also seems to be the herb with the highest antioxidant activity. The medicinal parts of this wondrous plant are contained in the oil extracted from the leaves, or from the herb itself picked during the flowering season and eaten fresh or dried. At this writing, the essential oil has been shown to inhibit the growth of at least ten different microbes, including candida (yeast). Not a bad list of accolades, including antifungal; antibacterial, antiparasitic; antimutagenic; anticarcinogenic properties.

Jonny Bowden, PhD, CNS, author of The 150 Healthiest Foods on Earth

Rosemary

Exciting research has been done on rosemary’s potential for inhibiting cancers such as breast, colon, and skin cancers; animal studies have confirmed that the oil is liver protective, antimutagenic,and tumor inhibiting. The oil is also mildly antibiotic and antiviral. Note: although perfectly safe in amounts normally consumed in foods, in medicinal dosages it should not be used during pregnancy due to concerns that it might have uterine- and menstrual flow-stimulant effects.

Jonny Bowden, PhD, CNS, author of The 150 Healthiest Foods on Earth