If you avoid eating garlic because the smell comes out of your skin pores for days, you're not alone. Garlic, an herb used in many food dishes as well as a supplement in alternative medicine, can definitely cause a distinct and persistent body smell that can linger for days. Garlic can also linger on your breath.

Ginger root is a rhizome, which means it is an aromatic underground stem. This root is a common ingredient in many cuisines, including Asian and Indian dishes. Ginger has properties beyond providing a spicy, sweet taste to these cuisines, however.

Cymbopogon, or lemongrass, comprises more than 55 species of grass. You can use lemongrass in various dishes and teas, as a pesticide and as a preservative. You can also prepare lemongrass can in several ways and use this grass fresh, dried or powdered. You can eat raw lemon grass.

Table salt contains about 2,000 milligrams of sodium per teaspoon. Too much or too little salt intake during pregnancy can negatively affect your sodium levels. As with other nutrients, pregnant women need more sodium than non-pregnant women.

Blood clots are the body’s defense mechanism against excessive bleeding from injuries or cuts. However, conditions such as diabetes, family history and high blood cholesterol levels can lead to formation of blood clots in the arteries of heart, brain and lungs.

Many spices common in cooking have also been used medicinally by various cultures throughout history. Turmeric and cayenne pepper are included in recipes in many types of ethnic cuisine and are purported to have healing effects for more than just minor ailments.

Curry is a staple part of the cuisine throughout East Asia, and its popularity has also stretched into Western countries. Although there’s no standard definition for what makes up a “curry,” dish, it generally includes meat or vegetables and has a spiced sauce that may feature turmeric, cumin or coriander powder.

Revered for its medicinal properties by the ancient Egyptians, cinnamon is a savory spice found in the bark of Cinnamomum trees. Although it is a widely used spice, you may need to moderate your consumption if you are taking a blood thinner. The coumarin in the spice could increase your risk of bleeding.

Ingesting cinnamon rarely causes an allergic reaction, although it is possible, according to the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology. If you do have an allergy to ingesting cinnamon, which an allergy specialist can confirm, you can still enjoy the foods you love without cinnamon.

Gastritis develops when the stomach lining becomes inflamed. Doctors often prescribe antacids and histamine blockers to reduce acid production or antibiotics, if gastritis is due to an infection. Scientific research shows that ginger may be effective in killing bacteria that frequently cause gastritis.

Bloating results from a buildup of gas in your gastrointestinal tract. Likely culprits of bloating include poor eating habits -- such as eating with your mouth open -- a fatty diet, sudden increase in fiber intake, stress or smoking.

Both the parsnip and the parsley root are winter vegetables whose edible part develops underground. Although used for centuries in European dishes, neither of these vegetables is widely used in American cooking.