They’ve Got Us Right Where They Want Us

(Note: Unapologetically Raw)

It seems that unless you’re in a tight inner circle of health-minded people, you’re completely outnumbered. Everywhere you turn, the world is eating garbage, popping pills, and calling it “normal.” And why wouldn’t they? The "Fill in the blank" — have done such a good job brainwashing us (on purpose or not) that we don’t even think in healthy terms anymore.

You’ve got a headache? What do you do? Drink a cup of water? Where did you get that stupid idea from?! No — you take a pain killer. That’s what we’ve been trained to do. Quick fix, problem “gone.” Except it’s not gone. It’s just buried. The symptom is quieted, but the cause is still screaming underneath.

And that’s the thing — if I tell you, “Hey, take this herb or spice for three or four weeks and your problem will actually go away,” what happens? Most people roll their eyes. Why wait a few weeks when you can just pop a pill for two days and feel “fine”?
Because the pill only masks it. The herb heals it. But we’ve lost patience. We’ve lost faith in our own bodies.

Now, let’s talk food.
Why is it that people will argue endlessly over which brand or restaurant makes the “best” hummus — X or Y? Do you even hear yourselves? You’re debating which garbage is better. That’s how perverted your taste buds have become. This isn’t politics (trying to choose the best of the worst). Homemade hummus — real, fresh, alive food — beats every factory-made paste on the shelf, every single time. And hummus is just one example. Pick anything. Homemade is always best.

Even restaurants know this. That’s why they advertise “Just like Grandma’s!” or “Like Mom used to make.” Straight from the mouth of the pig — sorry, pigs. They’re literally admitting it: the closer something is to real, the better it tastes. And yet, we keep buying their “like homemade” lies instead of just… making it ourselves.

And here’s what really gets me — this conditioning runs so deep that I sometimes catch myself justifying my own choices. Justifying why I use herbs. Why I eat clean. Why I choose natural over synthetic. Sometimes I even have to justify it to myself. That’s how deep the programming goes.

Recently, I found a 22-page research paper on herbs and spices — their uses in food and their proven health benefits. I’ll be honest, I didn’t have the patience and I don't believe you have the patience to read all 22 pages, but I did go through it and pull together the main points. Not because I needed convincing — I already believe in this stuff — but because it helps quiet that inner voice that still bugs me. It reminds me that what we’re doing makes sense. That nature already gave us what we need; we just forgot how to use it.

So here it is. My raw, no-fluff summary of the science behind herbs and spices — not just as flavor or tradition, but as real tools for healing.

Welcome to my blog:)

Click here for the full 22 page article

Summary

Introduction

Diet and nutrition are key to maintaining good health, and regular consumption of fruits, vegetables, herbs, and spices can help prevent chronic diseases. Herbs (from leaves or flowers) and spices (from other plant parts like roots or seeds) serve both culinary and medicinal purposes. In food, they act as preservatives, flavor enhancers, and salt/sugar substitutes, typically used in small amounts. Medicinally, they are rich in bioactive compounds—such as phenolics, carotenoids, terpenes, and alkaloids—that have antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, antiviral, and anticancer effects.

Interest in the health benefits of herbs and spices has grown, leading to increased use in foods, beverages, and supplements. However, regulatory frameworks like the EU’s EFSA have paused the evaluation of health claims for “botanical” substances to first assess their safety. Authorized health claims by FDA or EFSA must be evidence-based, demonstrating a clear link between a food and a health benefit.

Clinical trials on herbs and spices have increased significantly, following preclinical studies to confirm safety and efficacy. If a claim fails to prove a cause–effect relationship, only nutrition claims (e.g., “high in fiber”) may be allowed. Otherwise, herbs and spices remain as food ingredients without health labels.

To deepen understanding of their bioactivity and health effects, the field of phytochemomics—integrating advanced analytical methods—is emerging. This research helps clarify how phytochemicals promote health and supports the scientific validation of nutrition and health claims.

Herbs

Herbs are dried aromatic plant leaves used to add flavor, aroma, and sometimes color to foods. They can be consumed in various forms—fresh or dried—as condiments, beverages, or essential oils. Herbal beverages include both traditional teas made from Camellia sinensis (white, green, oolong, and black tea) and herbal infusions made from other plants such as linden, hibiscus, or thyme. Tea is typically prepared with boiling water, while herbal infusions use hot (not boiling) water. Herbal beverages play an important cultural and medicinal role in many Asian countries and are gaining popularity in Europe. In the food industry, herbs are mainly used in dried form as natural preservatives, colorants, and flavoring agents due to their antioxidant and antimicrobial properties.

Food Applications

Herbs are widely used in the food industry for their flavoring, coloring, and preservative properties.

• Flavorings:
  Culinary herbs add aroma and taste to a wide range of foods such as salads, meats, soups, and even desserts and drinks. Their key flavor compounds are mainly phenolics and terpenes, including carvacrol, thymol (oregano, thyme), and linalool (sage, rosemary).
• Colorants:
  Herbs contain natural pigments such as chlorophylls, carotenoids, anthocyanins, and flavonoids, which range in color from yellow to blue. Herbs like bay leaf, calendula, and chamomile are used as natural colorants. Growing consumer preference for natural additives over synthetic ones has boosted interest in these plant-derived pigments, though spices are still more commonly used for coloring.
• Preservatives (Antioxidants):
  Many herbs act as natural antioxidants, preventing food oxidation and extending shelf life. Key antioxidant compounds include flavonoids, catechins, and isoflavones. Herbs such as rosemary, oregano, sage, marjoram, thyme, and green tea are potent antioxidants.
  Rosemary extract (E-392) is the only herb officially approved in the EU and USA as a food additive for its antioxidant properties, due to compounds like carnosic acid and carnosol.
• Preservatives (Antimicrobials):
  Herbs and their essential oils—particularly from rosemary, sage, thyme, oregano, and basil—exhibit antimicrobial activity against bacteria such as Listeria monocytogenes, E. coli, and Salmonella. Though more effective in laboratory tests than in foods, these extracts can help extend food shelf life and reduce pathogens.

Therapeutic Properties

Herbs also have demonstrated potential in preventing and managing diseases, supported by clinical trials:

• Metabolic Disorders:
  Herbs such as lemon balm, bay leaf, oregano, sage, and green tea have shown beneficial effects on cholesterol, glucose, and lipid metabolism. Studies report reductions in LDL, triglycerides, and fasting glucose, and increases in HDL levels.
• Cardiovascular Diseases:
  Lemon balm, lemongrass, hawthorn, green tea, and hibiscus show cardioprotective effects. Clinical studies reveal reductions in blood pressure, cholesterol, and oxidative stress. For example, hibiscus tea significantly lowered systolic blood pressure in hypertensive patients, while hawthorn improved cardiac function in heart failure patients.
• Cancer:
  Several herbs—including basil, rosemary, mint, lemon grass, and green tea—have shown anticancer or chemopreventive effects in experimental studies. Green tea catechins are the most studied, showing potential benefits in prostate cancer prevention. Active compounds include terpenes and polyphenols, especially flavonoids and catechins.
• Neurodegenerative Disorders:
  Lemon balm has shown promise in improving memory and reducing agitation in Alzheimer’s patients, possibly by enhancing acetylcholine activity and GABA receptor function.

Spices

According to the FDA, spices are defined as “aromatic vegetable substances, in the whole, broken, or ground form, whose significant function in food is seasoning rather than nutrition.” Table 6.2 shows the food applications and therapeutic properties of the most consumed spices.

Food Applications

Spices are widely used in the food industry for their flavoring, coloring, antioxidant, and antimicrobial properties.

• Flavorings:
  Spices enhance taste and aroma and are classified by flavor intensity:
• Hot: black/red/white pepper, ginger, mustard
• Mild: paprika, coriander
• Aromatic: allspice, cinnamon, clove, cumin, garlic, nutmeg, etc.
  Their distinctive flavors come from compounds such as eugenol (clove, cinnamon), piperine (black pepper), gingerol (ginger), myristicin (nutmeg), and turmerone (turmeric).
• Colorants:
  Two natural spice colorants are approved in the EU and USA—paprika extract (E160c) and curcumin (E100).
• Paprika provides red hues through capsanthin and capsorubin.
• Curcumin, from turmeric, gives an orange-yellow color and also adds antioxidant properties.
  Use levels are regulated under good manufacturing practices (GMP), with specific limits for meat products.
• Preservatives: Antioxidants:
  Many spices act as natural antioxidants, preventing lipid oxidation and improving food shelf life. Examples include cinnamon, clove, coriander, cumin, fennel, and ginger.
  Their antioxidant activity correlates with phenolic and flavonoid content, which neutralizes free radicals and binds metal ions.
• Preservatives: Antimicrobials:
  Spice extracts (e.g., from cumin, clove, oregano, cinnamon, mustard, and turmeric) inhibit microbial growth in meats, fish, and dairy products.
  Bioactive compounds such as thymol, carvacrol, eugenol, and cinnamaldehyde disrupt microbial membranes and metabolic processes.
  However, achieving effective antimicrobial concentrations in foods can affect taste, so combining spices or using purified compounds is a promising strategy.

Therapeutic Properties

Spices are rich in nutraceuticals—bioactive compounds with health-promoting effects—and have been shown in clinical and experimental studies to help prevent chronic diseases.

• Metabolic Disorders (Diabetes, Dyslipidemia):
  Cinnamon, cumin, coriander, clove, fenugreek, garlic, ginger, onion, and turmeric demonstrate antidiabetic and hypolipidemic effects.
  Clinical trials show improvements in blood glucose, cholesterol, triglycerides, and insulin sensitivity.
• Cinnamon and fenugreek lower fasting glucose and cholesterol.
• Turmeric enhances the effects of metformin in type 2 diabetes.
• Ginger and cumin reduce triglycerides and LDL cholesterol.
• Cardiovascular Diseases:
  Spices may reduce cardiovascular risk by lowering blood pressure, triglycerides, and oxidative stress.
  Chili peppers may help reduce salt intake, while spice blends (e.g., black pepper, turmeric, garlic, ginger) improve post-meal lipid responses.
• Cancer:
  Turmeric, garlic, ginger, and black cumin exhibit anticancer and chemopreventive effects in animal and preliminary human studies.
• Curcumin in turmeric inhibits tumor growth, angiogenesis, and inflammation.
• Garlic compounds (diallyl disulfide and trisulfide) may reduce gastric and colorectal cancer risk, though results are mixed.
• Neurodegenerative Disorders:
  Curcumin may help slow cognitive decline in Alzheimer’s disease by disrupting amyloid deposits and reducing inflammation and oxidative stress. Some clinical trials show modest benefits without side effects, though more studies are needed.

Conclusion

Herbs and spices have long been valued for their culinary and medicinal uses. Among them, green tea (herb) and turmeric (spice) have the strongest scientific evidence for health benefits, including antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and disease-preventive properties. However, neither has yet been approved by the FDA or EFSA for therapeutic claims.
Further clinical research and phytochemomic studies are needed to better understand mechanisms of action and validate their efficacy in human health.