Spices add more than just flavor to your food. Most of the tasty and aromatic herbs offer a number of health benefits.

Oregano is the spice that gives pizza its familiar flavor, but it also has powerful anti-inflammatory properties, according to a recent article in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Oregano's active ingredient, beta-caryophyllin, is also found in other spices, including basil, rosemary, cinnamon and black pepper.

When scientists administered the oregano compound to mice with inflamed paws, swelling subsided substantially in 70 percent of the rodents. Based on their results, the researchers concluded that the active ingredient in oregano could be beneficial in the treatment of inflammatory disorders, particularly those that affect the gastrointestinal system.

Oregano is also known for its potent antibiotic properties. Studies at Georgetown University Medical Center revealed that oregano oil is as effective as some antibiotic medications in killing disease-causing organisms.

The Georgetown University researchers tested the effects of oregano on staphylococcus bacteria, microbes that are becoming increasingly drug-resistant. Even at relatively low doses, oregano oil hindered the growth of the bacteria as well as some commonly prescribed antibiotics.

Like oregano, rosemary is a popular seasoning that offers more than great taste. Researchers at Kansas State University recently reported that compounds in the spice can block the formation of carcinogens in meat cooked at high temperatures.

When scientists applied rosemary extracts to the surface of ground beef before cooking, they noted a 30 percent to 100 percent reduction in the formation of cancer-causing heterocyclic amines.

If you like the taste of cinnamon, sprinkle away. While it's most often used to add a spark of flavor to recipes, the bark of cinnamon tree is known to have significant anti-bacterial and anti-fungal properties.

Scientists at the Human Nutrition Research Center found that when subjects with type-2 diabetes consumed less than a half-teaspoon of cinnamon daily, they experienced significant reductions in blood sugar levels. Cinnamon consumption also brought about a substantial drop in cholesterol and triglyceride levels.

Earlier this month, researchers in Spain reported that treating packaging materials with cinnamon oil significantly prolongs the freshness of bread and other baked goods. Cinnamon-treated packaging inhibited 96 percent of mold growth in bread for up to 10 days.

Spicing your favorite dishes with garlic is an excellent way to lower your blood pressure and boost heart health. Last year, researchers at the University of Alabama at Birmingham demonstrated that garlic causes the body's red blood cells to release hydrogen sulfide, a chemical that promotes dilation of blood vessels.

The researchers found that the equivalent of two cloves of fresh garlic caused as much as a 72 percent relaxation in rodent arteries. Relaxation of blood vessels is an important first step in reducing blood pressure and promoting heart health.

Regular consumption of garlic can lower total cholesterol and triglyceride levels while boosting levels of heart-healthy high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol. The odiferous herb also protects the heart by interfering with the clotting ability of the blood, an action that can reduce the risk of heart attack and stroke.

If you're a fan of curried foods, you might want to eat them more often. Curried foods contain curcumin, an ingredient that offers an impressive array of important health benefits.

Curcumin has been shown to reduce the risk of developing Alzheimer's disease. The compound appears to work by triggering cells of the immune system to gobble up brain-clogging plaques associated with the condition.

In February 2008, researchers at Toronto General Hospital announced their findings that curcumin consumption may dramatically reduce the risk of having congestive heart failure. The scientists found that curcumin can help improve the function of diseased hearts by reducing scarring and inflammation.

While there's mounting evidence to suggest that a curry-rich diet is beneficial for individuals with Alzheimer's and heart disease, scientists are investigating other medicinal uses of curcumin. One of its most promising properties is its ability to stop the runaway growth of cancer cells.

When researchers at the University of Texas added curcumin to samples of melanoma skin cancer cells, they found that the more spice they added, the more cells died. The compound has also been shown to cause death of colorectal cancer cells in laboratory studies and to dramatically reduce the growth of prostate tumors in mice.

Adding spices to your favorite dishes is a quick and easy way to add flavor to your food — and, even better, improve your health.

Rallie McAllister is a board-certified family physician, speaker and the author of several books, including "Healthy Lunchbox: The Working Mom's Guide to Keeping You and Your Kids Trim." Her website is www.rallieonhealth.com. To find out more about Rallie McAllister, M.D., and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate Web page at www.creators.com.

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