Herbs Can Add Zest, Antioxidant Benefits to Meal
Wed Feb 27, 5:30 PM ET NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - A healthy diet doesn't
have to taste bland. Many common herbs used to spice up a meal are loaded
with antioxidants, according to researchers at the US Department of
Agriculture in Beltsville, Maryland.
These chemicals shield cells from the effects of free radicals, which are
corrosive molecules produced during normal metabolic processes that have been
implicated in the development of many aging-related diseases. In an effort to
identify potential new sources of natural antioxidants, Drs. Wei Zheng and
Shiow Y. Wang measured and compared the antioxidant properties of numerous
medicinal and culinary herbs. All of the herbs were grown under the same
conditions at the US National Arboretum in Washington, DC, Zheng and Wang
report in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry. Oregano lovers will
be happy to know that three different types of oregano--Mexican, Italian and
Greek--scored the highest in antioxidant activity. Other antioxidant-packed
herbs included rose geranium, sweet bay, purple amaranth, dill, winter savory
and Vietnamese coriander. Not only were the antioxidant properties in some of
the herbs in the study higher than reported values for vitamin E, they even
beat out well-known antioxidant-rich foods such as vegetables, berries and
other fruits, the report indicates. "This study revealed that herbs are an
effective potential source of natural antioxidants," the authors write.
"Therefore, supplementing a balanced diet with herbs may have beneficial
health effects." SOURCE: Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry
2002;49:5165-5170.