3. Joint Pain
Garlic – a potent anti-inflammatory, garlic is effective inside and out. Add garlic to cooking (or eat it raw, if you can, to get the most benefit). Click here for a few remedies that will warm and soothe painful joints while reducing inflammation.
Green Tea – all true teas (i.e., not herbal) contain anti-inflammatory phytochemicals. Green tea has more flavonoids (a type of antioxidant) than other types of tea and it’s this substance that is a major contributor to green tea’s anti-inflammatory effect. (8)
Steep green tea for at least 7 minutes before drinking to allow nutrients to release. Add some raw, unpasteurized honey if you like, for an additional anti-inflammatory.
Licorice Root – contains anti-inflammatory flavonoids that inhibit Lyso-PAF-Acetyltransferase, an enzyme that causes inflammation. (9) Licorice root can be taken in a capsule or drunk as tea. To make your own tea (rather than store-bought in a bag), add 1 teaspoon of licorice root powder to hot water and steep for 10 minutes. Strain and drink. Licorice root is naturally sweet.
Cautions: in large amounts over time, licorice root can contribute to hypertension and low potassium. Pregnant and lactating women should not take licorice root.
4. Detoxifying
With the environmental and food toxins to which we are daily exposed, we need to give ourselves a flush now and then to keep them from building up and causing harm.
Rosemary has antifungal, antiviral, and antibacterial properties. Antioxidants in rosemary protect the liver from damage and can even promote healing of cirrhosis. (10) The liver is the body’s primary filter and everything you take into your body goes through it. Rosemary prevents damage from free radicals by activating the body’s own defense mechanisms. (11)
In addition to its particular hepatic effects, rosemary protects the brain, improving memory, cognition, and stalling the accumulation of amyloid-beta, a protein that leads to the plaque accumulation in the brain that causes Alzheimer’s and other neurological diseases. (12, 13)
A hardy, aromatic herb, rosemary can be added to soups, stews, grilled proteins and vegetables, or taken as a tea.
5. Immune System Booster
Black pepper – piperine is a substance in black pepper with antioxidant properties. It’s been found to bind to immune cell receptors and increase cell viability. (14) In addition—and maybe more importantly—black pepper increases the bioavailability of other nutrients