Sweet and spicy 🌶🥵

So many colours, flavours, fragrances… I love it.

Plus I was born with fairy fingers, so cooking and especially marinades, it knows me 😌

Maybe someday I’ll invite you to eat at my house, who knows? 🤷🏾‍♀️

In short, that's not the question. Did you know that if not served in the dishes, spices had other virtues?

Here are some of my favorite spices, which are easily found in our kitchen shelves and their virtues (according to studies, not me 🙄):

• Cinnamon

I confess, at first I had trouble with this spice. Especially since my sister had a period where she put it everywhere. I overdosed 😏. but I’ve learned to love her again and now it’s okay 🙂

But we’re not here to talk about my life. Its different virtues:

• Against stomach aches: it would have an effect on digestion

• Improving memory: that’s what the Americans said. They did tests on mice 🐁 and they deduced that sodium benzoate (it’s like I’m a scientist 👩‍🔬) in cinnamon had an effect on the hippocampus (part of the brain 🧠 ), but we’re waiting for the tests on humans to be sure of that benefit.

• Antispasmodic: because of its rich antioxidants

• Turmeric

If you’ve had a chance to read the beauty article from last week, you already know it’s good for the complexion. But here are some other benefits:

• Antioxidant: one of the most powerful that exists

• Anti-inflammatory

• Promotes digestion: by activating the work of the liver and stimulating the production of bile (liquid essential in digestion, especially that of lipids)

⚠️ Little extra tip: Don’t add turmeric in hot oil so as not to lose its profits.

• La cardamome

This one, is little known I confess. Not everyone has it in his kitchen or so, we have it, but we don’t know what it is 🙄. And yet the Indians consider her the «queen of spices»

Well, start using it more often because it’s used to:

• Boost your appetite (it’s better than the liquid dietary supplements that are prescribed that are supposed to be vanilla, chocolate, but that are absolutely disgusting ! (It smells like experience 🙄))

• Promotes digestion (definitely, they all do !): by stimulating the secretion of saliva.

• Apparently, it helps to lose weight, by having an effect on fats and carbohydrates

• And finally, it has a diuretic effect (made to pee, in familiar language) and therefore cleans the body of toxins

⚠️ Little information that seems to me not insignificant, digestion includes mastication, gastric digestion (in the stomach), intestinal digestion (in the intestine) and colic digestion (in the colon) which leads to the evacuation of poop.

• Ginger

Well, I know you’re naughty 😋 and it’s the aphrodisiac effect that interests you the most, so I’ll start with that, but he still has other roles that are a little more important:

• Aphrodisiac: So it’s just a side effect. It’s not its main virtue. But it's through stimulation of the blood circulation in the vessels and therefore in the sexual organs that this happens. But for someone who’s used to drinking it, don’t expect to feel it.

• Antispasmodic

• Strengthens immune defenses

• Personal advice and use that we do a lot in Africa, very good remedy for sore throat. I don’t know how or by what 🤷🏾‍♀️ but Grandma’s cure, you know 😉

• Anti-nausea 🤢

• Cloves

You know, this spice that has the same smell as dental cabinets

• Analgesic and antiseptic: it soothes pain, irritations and aseptic areas where it's used. It’s thanks to Eugenol (you see the little metallic taste? Well it’s him!). It’s for these reasons, among others, that dentists use it.

⚠️ Little piece of advice that saves my life personally. When you get a toothache 🦷, you know the pain that goes as far as hammering your head 🤕 , boiling cloves in a little water, about five minutes, and doing a little mouthwash. It anesthetizes the pain. (oh yes ! Wait for it to cool down a bit. Don’t burn yourself! 😒)

Another use, if you have gum inflammation, you can chew it directly. But as I said, the taste is strong and particular. And above all, recalls the dentist’s Zzzzzz 😓

Be careful, these last two tips do not allow you to decline the dentist appointment to control the reason for the pain.

• Nutmeg

Well, this one has only one virtue, but since we use it a lot, especially in cakes 🍰 , cookies 🍪 , pancakes 🥞… I can’t forget it.

It's antispasmodic, anti-nausea and can be very useful for motion sickness.

• Cumin

No, I’m not mistaken, we’re not talking about curry, we’re talking about cumin.

• promotes digestion ( surprising, isn’t it? 🤣), by activating the secretions of the digestive tract and improving the assimilation of fats.

• Very rich in antioxidant

• Purifies blood 🩸

• Mustard seeds

Last spice I need to talk to you about, not to be overlooked.

• In your opinion, what is its first virtue? 😂😂 well played! They promote digestion, facilitating the production of gastric juice and saliva.

• Antioxidants and sanitizers

• And last virtue (which interests us the most 🙄), anti-aging. It carries out a «free radical trap» activity, which are substances that promote the aging of cells.

That's it ! I’ve already made you a nice list. There's still a lot missing; both the obvious and the less obvious, but I don’t want to take too long 😅.

Maybe I’ll do a part 2 🤔. In the meantime, go sort through these closets! 😉