Herbs and Spices Medicinal Properties

Herbs and spices are known for their medicinal properties and have been used in traditional medicines from time immemorial. Powdered spices are either externally applied or taken internally for various ailments. The essential oils of many herbs and spices are used in pharmaceutical preparations. The essential oil of coriander is reported to be analgesic, dill and anise oils as antipyretic, coriander, celery, parsley and cumin oils as anti-inflammatory. Recently, anticarcinogenic property has been reported for essential oils of cumin and basil and these can be used as protective agents against carcinogenesis. Also, methanol extracts of allspice, marjoram, tarragon and thyme strongly inhibited platelet aggregation induced by collagen in humans.

Sources of further information

ANON. (1998), New Horizons: Challenges Ahead, Proceedings of World Spices Congress 1998, Spices Board India and All India Spices Exporters Forum.

CSIR (1998), The Wealth of India – a Dictionary of Indian Raw Materials and Industrial Products, National Institute of Science Communication, CSIR, New Delhi, India.

FARRELL, K. T. (1990), Spices, Condiments and Seasonings, 2nd edition. AVI book, Van Nostrand Reinhold, New York.

GUENTHER, E. (1975), The Essential Oils, Robert E. Krieger Publishing Company, Huntington, New York.

PETER, K. V. (ed.) (2001), Handbook of Herbs and Spices, Woodhead Publishing Limited, Abington.

POKORNY, J., YANISHLIEVA, N. and GORDON, M. (2001), Antioxidants in food: practical applications.
Woodhead Publishing Limited, Abington.

PRUTHI, J. S. (2001), Minor Spices and Condiments – Crop Management and Post Harvest Technology,
ICAR, New Delhi, India.

Antimicrobial Properties of Herbal Spices

Herbal spices are important sources of antimicrobials, and the use of spices, their essential oils or active ingredients for controlling microbial growth in food materials constitutes an alternative approach to chemical additives.

Some of the spice essential oils (individual or combinations) are highly inhibitory to selected pathogenic and spoilage micro-organisms. The fractionation of essential oils and further application help to improve the level of activity in some cases. The optical isomers of carvone from Mentha spicata and Anethum sowa (Indian dill) were more active against a wide spectrum of human pathogenic fungi and bacteria than the essential oils as such.

Mixing compounds such as carvacrol and thymol at different proportions may exert total inhibition of Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus. The inhibition is due to damage in membrane integrity, which further affects pH homeostasis and equilibrium of inorganic ions. Such knowledge on the mode of action helps spice extracts/ingredients to be applied successfully in foods. Also, application of active ingredients instead of essential oil will not change the food’s flavour very much.

Plant extracts or seed diffusates could be used for the control of seed-borne pathogens and can be a substitute for costly chemicals for seed treatment. Plant extracts of pimento can be used for controlling fungal growth during storage of wheat grains. Likewise, the seed diffusates of  Anthem graveolens and  Coriandrum sativum gave a high level of growth inhibition against seed-borne fungi such as Alternaria alternata  and Fusarium solani.

Of the various herbal spices, oregano and thyme show the highest antimicrobial activity. Carvacrol, present in the essential oils of oregano and thyme, has been proved to be the most important fungitoxic compound.

Hoodia Gordonii Plus

As part of your weight loss plans, you can lose fat just by taking Hoodia Gordonii in conjunction with a reduced calorie diet and moderate exercise.

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