General benefits of the herbs

1. Herbs strengthening digestion

A principle of herbalism is that most chronic disease begins with poor digestion. If an organism can´t transform food into the nutrients the body needs, then the organism can´t be of a good health. Many culinary herbs have been in use for thousands of years not only because of they taste good, but mainly because they help with digestion.

All too often, which is very sad, people have had poor digestion for so long that they assume it is a natural part of their life. If they work with herbs and spices to strengthen their digestion, they often find that many of their complaints disappear.

Následující příznaky je třeba vzít v úvahu, protože jsou ukazateli špatného zažívání:

• nadýmání
• žaludeční potíže
• plynatost
• zácpa
• pálení žáhy
• nevolnost
• nechutenství
• vředy
• opakující se průjem

2. Herbs are high in antioxidants

Herbs and spices are high in antioxidants. They are an important key to limiting the damage done to the body by oxidative stress such as liver problems, heart disease, arthritis, eye damage and premature skin aging. Oxidative stress occurs when the body is overloaded with free radicals. The formation of free radicals is a natural part of living, eating and breathing. However, it can be awfully increased by stress, eating processed foods, consuming oils that have been overheated, breathing air pollutants or cigarette smoke, eating charred meats being or sleep deprived. It is important to limit these negative influences and regularly include high antioxidant foods, such as herbs and spices in your meals in order to minimize oxidative stress.

3. Herbs support nervous system

Busyness becomes a standard way of our life, we may say that we live in a perpetually stressed culture. It becomes quite normal due to excessive stress to run on too little sleep, be rushed, overworked and overcommitted.

However, our bodies are increasingly showing the effects of constant exposure to chronic stress. Based on the data of CDC and psychologists, chronic stress is linked to six leading causes of death: cancer, coronary heart disease, accidental injuries, respiratory disorders, cirrhosis of the liver, and suicide.

Without a doubt herbs and spices are not going to give you superhuman powers, but can help you modulate the negative effects of stress. They can help us get restful sleep at night and reduce levels of anxiety during the day. Along with fresh local food, they offer us high amounts of the vitamins and minerals needed to support our nervous system.

4. Herbs are antimicrobial

Some herbs and spices offer a powerful defence against pathogenic bacteria. In an age of pharmaceutical antibiotics, however, humanity is facing a major problem with antibiotic resistance. Bacteria have adapted during their evolution to the pharmaceutical antibiotics people use. After decades of rampant overuse of antibiotics, more and more bacteria do not respond to treatments using antibiotics.

In the USA only, more than 23.000 people die each year from antibiotic-resistant infections.

As plants have been evolving for millennia, they are of a very complex system that may make it harder for pathogens to adapt to them.

The importance of having a healthy and diverse gut flora, which is a beneficial bacteria in our digestive tract, might be wiped out by pharmaceutical antibiotics. After all, the term antibiotic, means “anti-life”.

Plants can be chosen for the specific type of infection and can also be effective against viruses and fungal infections. Some herbs have a stronger effect on one type of bacteria than other one.

In other words, herbs can simply kill a pathogen and also support the ecosystem of the body. They help restore integrity to mucous membranes and maintain healthy gut flora.

5. Herbs support the immune system

Herbs can reinforce our health during times of infection by strengthening or modulating our body´s own immune system, which is arguably our best defense against pathogens that lead to illness. Immune system dysfunction can increase our risk of infection and is also implicated in cancer, autoimmune disorders and seasonal allergies. Herbs can help to strengthen and boost our immune system so that it can do its complex job well.

Most commonly used herbs are safe to use. However, like all medicines, herbal remedies must be treated with respect as some plants can produce side-effects. It is crucial to take certain plants only under the guidance of a well-trained practitioner in order to avoid adverse consequences. When a herbal medicine is taken correctly, then the chance to develop a serous side-effect is low.