Good morning! Happy Monday everyone!:)

Today I would like to share with you my healthy habit of using herbs and spices.

As you know they can be used for medicine, cooking, cosmetics and perfumes.

Archaeological evidence shows that the use of spices and herbs dates back before recorded history, when human ancestors first added sharp-flavored leaves to early cooking pots. Roaming hunter-gatherer groups experimented with leaves, roots, flowers, and seeds, so over time they built up a precious knowledge that was passed from one generation to the next. As civilization progressed, herbs and spices were not just collected from the wild but were deliberately sown near dwelling places. By the beginning of the agricultural period plants were collected from the wild and grown nearby for food, flavor, medicine, fuel, decoration, dyes, poison, and weapons.

The earliest written records come from ancient Egyptian, Chinese, and Indian cultures. They describe some eight hundred different medicinal remedies and numerous medicinal procedures. Early Egyptians used spices and herbs in medicine, as cosmetics and perfumes, in cooking, and to kill and repel pests.

Herbs are the green, leafy parts of plants. They are most efficacious and flavorsome when used fresh, and they are mostly grown in hot regions. Spices are any part of a plant that is not a leaf: for example, cloves are flower buds, cinnamon is bark, ginger is a root, peppercorns are berries, nigella is seed, cumin is a fruit, saffron is stigmas, cardamom is pods and seeds, and asafetida is a gum. Spices are usually used in small amounts, are best used dry (the drying process often enhances the flavor), and most grow in subtropical or tropical climates. One single plant can be both an herb and a spice. Aromatic seeds like dill are a spice, while dill leaves are an herb. However, coriander and parsley roots, garlic and fennel bulbs are all regarded as herbs rather than spices.

I enjoy cooking, so I can’t imagine my kitchen cupboard without herbs and spices! It is a variety of products from all over the world! I was very selective before I started completing my collection. The idea was to choose the healthiest one supported by medical research. Here is a list of herbs and spices I have chosen as my ‘essentials’ in daily cooking habit:

• Black, green, cayenne pepper,
• Cinnamon,
• Sage,
• Peppermint,
• Green tea,
• Turmeric,
• Basil,
• Ginger,
• Fenugreek,
• Rosemary,
• Garlic,
• Mustard,
• Oregano,
• Parsley
• Thyme,
• Cumin,
• Aloe vera,
• Ginger,
• Cardamom,
• Dill,
• Licorice,
• Fennel,
• Cloves,
• Chamomile,
• Marjoram,

I also drink herbal tea, but I need to remember not to overdose! You might be laughing … but yes, it has happened ones!

It was in the evening when I drunk 3cups of chamomile tea… My blood pressure went down so much that I had a headache. I have learned a lesson not to underestimate the power of herbs!

They can be very powerful as a remedy, but also harmful.

In ‘Remedies’ section you will find the researches I did before baying my herb and spices essentials.

Thank you very much for reading! 😀