• Some herbs and spices contain chemicals that prevent diseases.herbs and spice image by Bartlomiej Nowak from Fotolia.com
  
  Herbs (leaves) and spices (other parts of the plant) are used to enhance the flavor of foods. Some herbs and spices also contain chemicals that prevent diseases. These chemopreventive properties have led to new medicines such as aspirin (acetylsalicylic acid) which was first discovered in the bark of willow trees. Chewing willow bark was how Native Americans dealt with headaches.
  
  

Herbs

• The chemicals in the leaves of the hundreds of thousands of different plants make up a pharmacopoeia of millions of drugs. Many of these herbs were used by primitive people and have subsequently led to the development of modern drugs. Sage has been found to relieve the symptoms of Alzheimer's disease. Basil has been used to treat skin disorders in India for centuries. Aloe grows all over the world (it is thought to have originated in Africa) and cultures from all over the world have discovered that the juice from the leaves of the aloe plant is soothing for burns, abrasions and insect bites. Another African plant that has been used for centuries is buchu. The leaves of this plant are an effective treatment for high blood pressure, internal infections and menstrual pains. A tincture (herbs soaked in alcohol and then discarded) of buchu is still a popular medicine in South Africa.
  
  

Spices

• There are even more spices than herbs--herbs are made from the leaves and spices are made from all the other parts of the plant.Making spices useful (especially bark and roots) often involves "decoction'' (boiling in water) instead of the infusion (having boiling water poured over them) that is common with herbs. Bergamot orange peel (the same spice that flavors Earl Grey tea) has been found to be an effective treatment for malaria. Onions and shallots ease the symptoms of a cold. Saffron has been found to ease the symptoms of dysentery and measles and to work as an antidote for some poisons.
  
  

Blends

• There are blends of herbs and spices that have been used for centuries to cure a multitude of maladies. Curries (spice blends for meats) and masalas (spice blends for vegetables) are used for medicinal as often as for culinary purposes, but the king of Indian medicinal spice blends is amalaki. It is a blend of 40 or more herbs and spices--mostly from the Indian gooseberry tree--that was first mentioned in written works dating back back to the 2nd century AD. It is still a staple of Indian households for treating all intestinal and gastric disorders. It is also thought to help people withstand Indian summers and to help promote healthy hair and skin. Chili powder is more than just ground chilies--it also contains cumin, coriander and mace. Chili powder is credited with alleviating psoriasis and prostate cancer as well as a variety of stomach and intestinal disorders.