Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2020 Oct;19(5):30-42.

Opportunities for Health Promotion: Highlighting Herbs and Spices to Improve Immune Support and Well-being

Jonathan Isbill, Jayanthi Kandiah, Natalie Kružliaková
Review

Opportunities for Health Promotion: Highlighting Herbs and Spices to Improve Immune Support and Well-being

Jonathan Isbill et al. Integr Med (Encinitas). 2020 Oct.

Abstract

Context: Consuming a balanced and varied diet is beneficial for health, especially when individuals feel stressed, scared, insecure, unequipped, or disempowered from maintaining their health during the COVID-19 pandemic. Nutrient deficiencies from inadequate intake of healthful foods can contribute to a weakened immune system and greater susceptibility to infection. Including herbs and spices in a balanced and diverse diet is one of the highlights of nutritious eating that supports health and immunity.

Objective: The review intended to examine ways to integrate specific herbs and spices into people's diets and to use them therapeutically in holistic, integrated health promotion.

Design: The research team performed a narrative review by searching PubMed Central and Google Scholar databases. The team developed a search strategy focused on specific common names of spices and herbs in combination with other terms, such as health benefits, health promotion, immunity, inflammation.

Setting: This review was conducted in Muncie and Columbus, Indiana.

Results: This review uncovered studies documenting the many therapeutic properties of herbs within the lamiaceae family, particularly basil and spearmint, and spices, including cloves, ginger, and turmeric. Substantial evidence suggests that consumption of a healthful diet, inclusive of herbs and spices, may strengthen the body's immune system against diseases including highly contagious viruses.

Conclusions: With respect to herbs and spices, the current review's findings can help to inform and support future recommendations for a standard within the professions of health to provide an improved, healthier, and well-educated dietary guidance for individuals. More studies are needed on the consumption of herbs and spices in human trials to elicit evidence beyond preclinical and animal studies.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Coronavirus (COVID-19): Follow these tips to help keep your family safe. 2020. Accessed May 16, 2020, from https://www.eatright.org/coronavirus
    1. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. How to protect yourself and others. April 24, 2020. Accessed May 16, 2020, from https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prevent-getting-sick/preventio...
    1. Mehta P, McAuley DF, Brown M, Sanchez E, Tattersall RS, Manson JJ. COVID-19: Consider cytokine storm syndromes and immunosuppression. The Lancet. 2020; 395(10229): 1033-1034. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Prompetchara E, Ketloy C, Palaga T. Immune responses in COVID-19 and potential vaccines: Lessons learned from SARS and MERS epidemic. Asian Pac J Allergy Immunol. 2020. March; 38(1):1-9. - PubMed
    1. Yanuck SF, Pizzorno J, Messier H, Fitzgerald KN. Evidence supporting a phased immuno-physiological approach to COVID-19 from prevention through recovery. Integrative Medicine: A Clinician’s Journal. 2020; 19(1). Epub ahead of print. Accessed May 24, 2020, from http://imjournal.com/oa/evidence_supporting-a_phased_immuno-physiologica... - PMC - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources