Herbs and Spices: Health Benefits, Allergies & Uses

Herbs and spices like cayenne and ginger offer therapeutic benefits for everything from weight loss to heart health. However, understanding spice allergies and toxicities, such as those associated with nutmeg and paprika, is vital for safety.

How to Season Ribs

When you season ribs before preparing on the grill or in the oven, you ensure that the meat retains its delicious flavor. Because ribs have a lot of fat and bone, make sure you purchase plenty if you are preparing the meat for a large gathering. A hungry adult may consume as much as 1 lb. of ribs in a single sitting.

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Poppy seeds in wood bowl with two dried pods.

Are Poppy Seeds Safe for My Child?

Poppy seed stories have taken hold of people's imaginations, but are they true? ABC News reports that people have failed drug screening tests because of having eaten poppy seeds before testing. Indeed, the website “Poppy.

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The Lemon Juice & Cayenne Pepper Diet

Also known as the “lemonade diet,” the lemon juice and cayenne pepper diet is one phase of the “Master Cleanse” diet. Developed as a short-term solution for cleansing the body of harmful toxins, the diet significantly restricts food and beverage intake.

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Handmade chutney from carrots, ginger and lime in jar

How to Make Ginger Jam

Ginger has a strong, distinct flavor that is often highlighted in Asian dishes and complements sweet salads and fruit dishes. Ginger jam can be served on bread, spooned onto meat or added to rice or salads.

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Sesame seeds

Sesame Seeds and Omega-3

The tiny brown, black or white seeds of the sesame plant add crunch and flavor to crackers, breads, cereals and even candy. But sesame seeds don't just taste good; they're good for you.. Toasting sesame seeds enhances their flavor. Grinding the seeds helps your body absorb more of their nutrients.

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Chili

Dosage of Cayenne Pepper Per Day

Cayenne pepper is used as both food and medicine. One of its active components, capsaicin, has potent pain-relieving properties and makes up a major ingredient of many topical pain relief creams. It has also been used in supplement form for a variety of purposes, including digestive health.

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fresh garlic on green board close up

Can Garlic Cure Syphilis?

Syphilis is well known disease caused by a spirochete microorganism called Treponema pallidum. If you suspect that your are infected, see your doctor as soon as possible and start your treatment at early stages to prevent possibly grave consequences. The antibiotic treatment became available in the mid-20th century.

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Vegetables

What Is Parsley Root Good For?

Parsley is a member of the carrot family that includes celery, fennel, anise and dill. Parsley root is light beige, shaped like a carrot, but slender like a parsnip. The flavor is described as a taste between celery and carrots with a little parsley leaf and turnip.

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Pile of chilli

How to Dry Cayenne Pepper & Avoid Mold

Cayenne peppers are commonly grown in the home garden. The peppers are decorative on the plant and full of robust flavor when used to spice up a favorite culinary dish.

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Man peeling garlic

How to Freeze Minced Garlic

Garlic is a common ingredient in many dishes, but chopping or mincing garlic every time you want to use it can be time-consuming. By mincing garlic ahead of time and freezing it, you will have the right amount ready whenever you need it.

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How Do I Roast Pre-Peeled Garlic Cloves?

Garlic can enhance all sorts of dishes and has some health benefits. A garlic-rich diet helps boost your body's production of antioxidant compounds and may lower the risk of heart disease and certain cancers, notes "The New York Times." Roasting garlic tempers its intense taste and makes it readily spreadable.

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How to Cut Fresh Rosemary

Cut fresh rosemary from your herb garden to use its aromatic leaves in any of your chicken, fish, pork or meat dishes. The leaves this woody-stemmed plant produces are also tasty in breads, butter, soups, sauces and vegetable dishes.

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Vegetables, spices for cooking onions, peppers.

Antidote for Onion and Garlic Allergies

The only effective antidote for onion and garlic allergies is to completely avoid consuming either food, even in small quantities. An allergic reaction to a food is caused by a mistake of the immune system. Your immune system reacts to the proteins found in onion and garlic as if they are dangerous for the body.

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Flowering red poppies and bumblebee

The Effects of Eating Poppy Seed Dressing

Poppy seed salad dressing poses two major concerns for consumers. First, it contains fats and sugars. Depending on your health concerns, you may need to closely monitor your consumption of these.

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Sesame

Are Sesame Seeds Good Sources of Protein?

The tiny sesame seeds that you find on rolls, cookies and broccoli stir-fry originated in Africa, according to Chow.com. They have now traveled throughout the world, adding texture, nutrition and flavor to a variety of dishes. You have a choice of three colors, white, tan and black.

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colorful piles of spices sold in spice market

Saffron Poisoning

Native to the Mediterranean, saffron is a orange-yellow spice commonly used as both a food additive and as a medicinal treatment. Traditionally, saffron has been used to alleviate menstruation discomfort, mood problems and muscle spasms. More research is needed, however, to support these purported medicinal benefits.

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What Causes Allergies to Cilantro?

Cilantro is a lacy-leafed herb used to season foods and is popular in Tex-Mex dishes in particular. Cilantro resembles parsley but has a much more pungent odor and taste. Its seeds are known as coriander, and they impart a different flavor than cilantro leaves and aren't used to season the same types of dishes.

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Uses for Pineapple Sage

Pineapple sage (Salvia elegans) is a Salvia species used in cooking, baking and beverages. When crushed, the leaves have a tangy fragrance and flavor of pineapple. The bright, red flowers are also edible and taste like a combination of citrus and mint.

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Basket with herbs

What Are the Health Benefits of Fresh Basil Leaves?

With a rich green hue and delicate aromatic flavor, fresh basil adds instant interest to a range of healthful recipes. It's also virtually calorie-free -- a quarter-cup serving of chopped basil contains just two calories -- and low in sodium.

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