Science Says Common Herbs Are Medical Wonders
About a year ago Martha Stewart published an article in her online magazine about the anti-cancer compounds found in thyme and oregano. Article author, Nashia Baker, shared research from scientists at Purdue University. Turns out, these common herbs are also antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, and filled with antioxidants—everything needed to stop tumor development.
Isn’t it wonderful that everyday ingredients that we keep in our kitchen cupboards are now proven to be medical wonders? And it’s not just thyme and oregano that have medical benefits. Research shows turmeric helps heal rashes and burns and clove soothes a toothache.
"It is an amazing time for plant science right now," Purdue’s biochemists say. "We have tools that are faster, cheaper, and provide much more insight. We can now look inside plant cells and actually see these antioxidant and anti-inflammatory elements.” They’re talking about thymol, carvacrol, and thymohydroquinone—all crammed with what it takes to fight cancer.
Knowing this, it seems like good sense to add more of these ingredients to our recipes. While even the dried versions of these herbs have their health benefits, we know fresh is always best. You can be sure I’ll be growing both thyme and oregano in my garden this spring. For now, though, I’ll count on finding fresh sprigs in my grocery store’s produce department.
That said, let’s start with ways to use more thyme. Obviously, we can increase the use of recipes that include it (thyme baked chicken, soups, stews, and so on). But how about widening our repertoire with a few thyme-oriented unusual recipes? TASTE OF HOME has a recipe for thyme-baked apples that sounds intriguing.
Just bring a quart of apple cider to a boil; reduce it until you have about 1 cup left (around 18-20 minutes). Then stir in about ¼ cup of butter. Add in thick apple slices (from about 8 large apples—Braeburn are perfect for this) and lots of fresh thyme (maybe 3 heaping teaspoons). Stir well until all slices are coated and transfer the apples to a foil-lined 15x10x1-in. baking pan. Bake until tender, 20 to 25 minutes. Go ahead and garnish with any remaining fresh thyme.
And then there’s herb-infused mashed potatoes. Oregano and thyme work well with spuds and with some experimentation, you’ll come up with a flavor ratio that you’ll like. I’ve taken the potato approach to another level and even sprinkle chopped oregano and thyme on my French fries. This is really good.
But maybe one of the easiest and most flavorful ways to get more oregano and thyme into our diets would be by using herb-infused butters—also known as compound butter. For savory dishes, compound butter adds extra flavor, gorgeous presentation, and of course, the above-mentioned health benefits. Professional chefs like to use compound butter to top sweet potatoes, steak, chicken, steamed broccoli/cauliflower, wilted spinach, and many other dishes.
If you’re interested in trying this approach to getting more oregano and thyme into your diet, here’s a great recipe from www.wellnessmama. Simple, fast, and delicious!
1/2 cup butter softened to room temperature
1 tablespoon fresh thyme de-stemmed and finely chopped
1 tablespoon fresh parsley finely chopped
1 tablespoon fresh chives finely chopped
1 teaspoon fresh oregano finely chopped
1 clove garlic finely minced
Directions:
Add Recipe to Cook'n
Isn’t it wonderful that everyday ingredients that we keep in our kitchen cupboards are now proven to be medical wonders? And it’s not just thyme and oregano that have medical benefits. Research shows turmeric helps heal rashes and burns and clove soothes a toothache.
"It is an amazing time for plant science right now," Purdue’s biochemists say. "We have tools that are faster, cheaper, and provide much more insight. We can now look inside plant cells and actually see these antioxidant and anti-inflammatory elements.” They’re talking about thymol, carvacrol, and thymohydroquinone—all crammed with what it takes to fight cancer.
Knowing this, it seems like good sense to add more of these ingredients to our recipes. While even the dried versions of these herbs have their health benefits, we know fresh is always best. You can be sure I’ll be growing both thyme and oregano in my garden this spring. For now, though, I’ll count on finding fresh sprigs in my grocery store’s produce department.
That said, let’s start with ways to use more thyme. Obviously, we can increase the use of recipes that include it (thyme baked chicken, soups, stews, and so on). But how about widening our repertoire with a few thyme-oriented unusual recipes? TASTE OF HOME has a recipe for thyme-baked apples that sounds intriguing.
Just bring a quart of apple cider to a boil; reduce it until you have about 1 cup left (around 18-20 minutes). Then stir in about ¼ cup of butter. Add in thick apple slices (from about 8 large apples—Braeburn are perfect for this) and lots of fresh thyme (maybe 3 heaping teaspoons). Stir well until all slices are coated and transfer the apples to a foil-lined 15x10x1-in. baking pan. Bake until tender, 20 to 25 minutes. Go ahead and garnish with any remaining fresh thyme.
And then there’s herb-infused mashed potatoes. Oregano and thyme work well with spuds and with some experimentation, you’ll come up with a flavor ratio that you’ll like. I’ve taken the potato approach to another level and even sprinkle chopped oregano and thyme on my French fries. This is really good.
But maybe one of the easiest and most flavorful ways to get more oregano and thyme into our diets would be by using herb-infused butters—also known as compound butter. For savory dishes, compound butter adds extra flavor, gorgeous presentation, and of course, the above-mentioned health benefits. Professional chefs like to use compound butter to top sweet potatoes, steak, chicken, steamed broccoli/cauliflower, wilted spinach, and many other dishes.
If you’re interested in trying this approach to getting more oregano and thyme into your diet, here’s a great recipe from www.wellnessmama. Simple, fast, and delicious!
Herb-Infused Butter
Ingredients:
1/2 cup butter softened to room temperature
1 tablespoon fresh thyme de-stemmed and finely chopped
1 tablespoon fresh parsley finely chopped
1 tablespoon fresh chives finely chopped
1 teaspoon fresh oregano finely chopped
1 clove garlic finely minced
Directions:
1. Soften butter to room temperature and place in a medium bowl.
2. Add all herbs to the bowl with the butter.
3. Add minced garlic to the bowl.
4. Mix ingredients with a fork until all the herbs are evenly incorporated.
5. Place the infused butter onto a piece of parchment paper or wax paper and form into a roll/stick.
6. Refrigerate for at least four hours (or overnight if possible).
7. Serve atop meats, vegetables, or whatever sounds good!
2. Add all herbs to the bowl with the butter.
3. Add minced garlic to the bowl.
4. Mix ingredients with a fork until all the herbs are evenly incorporated.
5. Place the infused butter onto a piece of parchment paper or wax paper and form into a roll/stick.
6. Refrigerate for at least four hours (or overnight if possible).
7. Serve atop meats, vegetables, or whatever sounds good!
Recipe formatted with the Cook'n Recipe Software from DVO Enterprises.
Alice Osborne
Weekly Newsletter Contributor since 2006
Email the author! alice@dvo.com
