Centuries-old traditions worldwide have shown us that there are real health benefits in what we eat, and modern medicine is just catching up to all the world of food can offer to our well-being.

Some foods are great for your liver, and others take care of your heart; you can keep a robust immune system through food, and let’s not even get started with food good for your digestive system, but today it’s all about the brain.

Here are 5 spices for brain health, to Keep in Your Pantry, that will keep that hamster wheel spinning. Make sure to cook with them often, so add them to your grocery list and make sure they’re always available in your pantry.

1. Turmeric, the yellow-colored super spice

Turmeric is a superfood in its own right. The intensely colored spice that gives yellow curries their personality is a well-known ingredient in traditional medicine, and now doctors recommend it as well.

Curcumin also promotes brain hormones’ production, improving your neurons’ ability to work correctly, grow, and strengthen. As studies have shown, curcumin can also improve your memory.

The bio-active compound in turmeric is called curcumin. It’s responsible for all health benefits in the root, including the possibility of preventing and even treating degenerative illnesses such as Alzheimer’s disease.

2. Black Pepper, a well-rounded pungent and healthy spice

One of the most popular spices on the planet, and the most traded, black pepper not only gives life to all types of meat and vegetable dishes with its warm spiciness; it’s also good for your brain.

You can enhance your memory with a regular black pepper intake, and the spice will also boost your mood. The compound responsible for these benefits is called piperine, and interestingly, it is much more efficient when combined with turmeric’s curcumin.

The healthy duo is the single best spice combination for brain health, so don’t miss out on it.

3. Cinnamon, everyone’s favorite aromatic spice comes with health benefits too

Cinnamon is a synonym for winter baking treats, but it’s also widely used in savory stews and sauces. It’s part of the famous Chinese five-spice mix and the fan-fave pumpkin spice blend. True cinnamon is one of the most prized tree barks in the market, and its warm aromas are easily identifiable.

The brown spice also promotes brain health, as it has proven to slow down neuro-degenerative diseases, including Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s. Memory and cognition can also improve by adding cinnamon to your diet, and it’s all thanks to cinnamon’s neuroprotective compounds called cinnamaldehyde and epicatechin.

4. Ginger, the queen of roots, takes care of your brain and your appetite

Ginger livens stir-fries and noodle dishes. When pickled, it freshens the palate after a sushi bite, and in the baking department, it rounds up the flavor in gingerbread cookies. Ginger is so versatile you can enjoy it in ginger beer too!

Ginger is a gnarly root vegetable or rhizome, and it’s incredibly healthy at all levels in our body. For our brain, the compound called gingerol can protect our brain from aging and inflammation and improve our memory, focus, and anxiety.

The aromatic rhizome can also treat depression, and that’s just the peak of the iceberg. If you had to choose one of the spices good for your brain, ginger would be a safe bet.

5. Saffron, it comes at a cost, but it pays off health-wise

Saffron is the most expensive spice on earth, mainly because every single flower stem has to be picked by hand, and you need to process 150 blossoms to get an ounce of the red-tainted spice.

Saffron has several positive effects on our brains. For starters, it encourages the production of serotonin, the happy hormone, so it can help you fight depression.

Some studies have also shown that adequate amounts of saffron can improve your memory, learning capabilities, and other vital cognitive functions. It has even proven effective in treating Alzheimer’s symptoms.

Give Your Brain Some Love!

There’s no doubt taking care of your brain is a priority, and when you can do it through food, even better.

Make sure you add the ingredients above to your meals regularly. The truth is, they’re not only healthy, but quite tasty as well, and that’s precisely what we all want to hear: that the 5 spices for brain health will season our food while taking care of us — tasty finally meets healthy.

The world of herbs and spices is full of mysteries. At the end of the day, food is medicine, so browse our website to know all about the health benefits behind the most popular herbs and spices. Knowledge is the best way to stay healthy!

Sources:

• share.upmc.com/2015/02/spices-boost-brain/
• verywellmind.com/best-herbs-and-spices-for-brain-health-4047818
• wellandgood.com/lotion-for-psoriasis/
• brainmd.com/blog/benefits-of-turmeric-and-curcumin/#:~:text=One%20 of%20the%20key%20features,to%20help%20clear%20these%20p laques
• healthline.com/nutrition/top-10-evidence-based-health-benefits-of-turmeric
• www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/B9780128184622000103
• www.brainhq.com/blog/5-proven-brain-benefits-of-cinnamon/# :~:text = A%20small%20human%20study%20suggests, for%20brain %20and%20 body%20health.
• worldhealth.net/news/science-backed-benefits-black-pepper/
• bebrainfit.com/ginger-health-benefits/
• neurotrition.ca/blog/brain-food-essentials-cinnamon