Healing Spices for Autism

When I first started putting together some recipe's to make my son's foods that he could actually stomach, I paid very close attention to the spices I was using.  I realized that certain spices like Black Pepper, didn't agree with him and usually caused him discomfort, so I read as much as I could about all the other spices I was finding in the Recipe's I was choosing to for him, and low and behold to my surprise, not only were some of the spices I found better for him in that they calmed his stomach, they actually have healing properties.

Here's a list of some of the spices that I've started using for my son, along with their healthful properties.

Cinnamon

Health Benefits: Balances Blood Sugar and preliminary results from test tube and animal studies suggest that cinnamon oil and cinnamon extract have anti-fungal, anti-bacterial, and anti-parasitic properties.  Candida is a Fungus that normally inhabits all humans, but in kids like ours that rarely have balanced diets, candida can easily flare up out of control, especially those on high sugar diets. Study after study has shown that cinnamon can play a role in the everyday management of blood sugar (glucose) levels and other cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors.  

As an example of the effectiveness of Cinnamon, in a recent U.S. study, published in the Journal of the American Board of Family Medicine, 109 people with type 2 diabetes were divided into two groups, with one receiving 1 gram of cinnamon a day and one receiving a placebo. After three months, those taking the cinnamon had a 0.83 percent decrease in their A1C, a measure of blood sugar. (Seven percent or less means the diabetes is controlled, and a decrease between 0.5 and 1.0 percent is considered a significant improvement.) Those taking the placebo had only a 0.37 percent decrease in A1C blood-sugar levels.

Cinnamon May also help prevent and treat:

Cancer, cholesterol problems, food poisoning, heart disease, hypertension, insulin resistance, polycystic ovarian syndrome, stroke, ulcer, vaginal yeast infection, wounds.

How to buy cinnamon:

Ground cinnamon begins to fade in flavor after a few months, so it’s best to buy whole cinnamon quills (or sticks) and grind as needed. The quills are somewhat tough, so you’ll need a sturdy spice grinder or fine grater.

Turmeric and Curcumin 

Health Benefits: Reduces Inflammation!  Inflammation is a huge issue with kids with Autism.  Studies have shown that kids with Autism have larger brains than normal and many physicians believe that this is caused by inflammation, so anything that can help reduce inflammation will help children with Autism.  Curcumin also helps with the cure and prevention of Cancer and reducing Candida outbreaks.

Turmeric is widely used in India, in just about every dish the populace prepares.  Researchers, have observed that the incidence of chronic illnesses among people in India is significantly lower than in most Western countries, especially the United States.  The active ingredient in Turmeric is Curcumin, but they can be bought separately and have different characteristics to bring to the spice table.

The best part about Curcumin is that it's even more powerful than drugs like Advil or even prescription medications in reducing inflammation (thereby reducing pain), without the nasty side effect of killing your liver!

May also help prevent and treat:

Acne, allergies, Alzheimer’s, arthritis, asthma, cancer, cholesterol problems, colitis (inflammatory bowel disease), cystic fibrosis, depression, dermatitis, type 2 diabetes, eczema, eye infection, flatulence, gallbladder disease, gout, gum disease, heart disease, high blood pressure, itching, liver disease, macular degeneration, obesity, pain, Parkinson’s disease, pollution side effects, psoriasis, rash, scleroderma, stroke, wounds.

How to buy turmeric:

If possible, I recommend buying turmeric from Alleppey, since it has nearly twice the curcumin of Turmeric sourced anywhere else.

Coriander

Health Benefits: Eases Digestive Discomfort

People often confuse coriander with cilantro, but while Cilantro comes from the strongly scented leaves of the coriander plant, The spice coriander comes from the seeds of the plan. The seed also contains linalool and geranyl acetate, which are powerful antioxidants. They’re the secret behind many of coriander’s powers, including its ability to soothe digestive ailments.

May also help prevent and treat:

Bloating, cholesterol problems, colic, colon cancer, type 2 diabetes, diarrhea, eczema, flatulence, high blood pressure, IBS, indigestion, insomnia, lead poisoning, liver disease, psoriasis, rosacea, stomachache, ulcer, vaginal yeast infection.

How to buy coriander:

Coriander seeds come in two main varieties: European coriander — which accounts for the majority of the U.S. market — is spherical in shape and more flavorful because of its higher concentration of volatile oils. Indian coriander is more egg-shaped and contains some oils not found in European coriander, resulting in a more lemony scent. Both are pretty interchangeable in cooking. Coriander is also sold powdered, but it’s best to buy whole seeds, as the oils dissipate after a few months once ground.

Fennel Seed

Health Benefits: Calms Colic in Baby's along with Menstrual Cramps

Fennel has also been shown to calm colic in babies. In a study, doctors treated 125 infants with colic, dividing them into one group that received a product containing fennel seed oil and one that received a placebo. The fennel seed product eliminated colic in 65 percent of the babies given it, compared with 24 percent of the placebo group.  We all know that with our kids, they're often suffering from one stomach ailment after another and anything that can help them out, while adding a nice licorice like flavor has to be good!

May also help prevent and treat:

Alzheimer’s, arthritis, cancer, colitis (inflammatory bowel disease), dementia, glaucoma, heart disease, high blood pressure, unwanted hair growth in women and stroke.

How to buy fennel seed:

Fennel seeds are sold whole or ground. Whole fennel seeds are yellow and tinged with green, which indicates top quality. Ground fennel starts to lose its flavor after six months, while whole fennel seeds keep for three years, so it’s best to buy whole and grind as needed.

Ginger

Health Benefits: Quiets Queasiness

For thousands of years, traditional healers worldwide have turned to ginger to help ease nausea of all kinds. For the past few decades, scientists have been proving that ginger works.

A team of gastroenterologists from the University of Michigan and National Yang-Ming University in Taiwan decided to study the effects of using ginger on 13 people with a history of motion sickness. To do so, they asked the people to sit in a spinning chair. They all became nauseated. When the volunteers took 1,000 to 2,000 milligrams of ginger before they sat in the chair, it took them longer to develop nausea, and the nausea was also less intense. (Both doses worked equally well.)

In their study, the researchers also measured blood levels of vasopressin, a key hormone they theorized might play a role in nausea from motion sickness. They found ginger limited the release of vasopressin. The researchers also measured electrical activity in the stomach during the spinning and found that ginger kept the activity “relatively stable” as compared with “chaotic” activity without the spice.

May also help prevent and treat:

Arthritis, asthma, cancer, cholesterol problems, heart attack, heartburn, indigestion, migraine, morning sickness, motion sickness, nausea, stroke, elevated triglycerides.

How to buy ginger:

Opt for fresh gingerroot over the dried, ground stuff, which has a less enticing aroma and far less zip. When buying fresh gingerroot, look for knobs (called “hands”) that are firm with smooth skin. Store fresh, peeled ginger in a paper bag in the refrigerator, where it will keep for two weeks. You can also keep unpeeled ginger indefinitely by freezing it in a freezer bag.

I've just touched the tip of the iceberg here, there are literally dozens of other spices and foods that can help out with ailments, just look around, keep an open mind and enjoy the new flavors in your life!