Every Herb Has a Story: Herbs for Inflammation

Reader Contribution by Staff
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Inflammation is a natural and necessary response to physical injury, infection or exposure to chemicals. Chronic inflammation is something different, and can be caused by over-exercise, stress or simply a result of aging. As we age, we all become at greater risk for developing chronic pain and inflammation. These herbs for inflammation can help.

In the next ten years, 60 million people will have some form of inflammation. The good news is that new research is helping us to understand the inflammatory response better than ever before. There are now some pretty effective ways to help people cope with these problems, with the use of over-the-counter and prescription, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), but most don’t come without side effects.

Holy basil tea, or tulsi tea, provides anti-inflammatory and therapeutic effects.

A more natural choice may include herbs and spices which also offer significant inflammatory relief. Most of these have been used for thousands of years in Chinese medicine, and in Ayurveda, the healing practice which dates back 5,000 years. Traditional wisdom, combined with new scientific research, validates the use of many of these plant-based herbal products to offer nutritional support for inflammation.

Here is a tasty list of some of the more common spices used worldwide for both culinary and medicinal uses. Most of these can be found already in your spice rack! Fresher is always better and more effective, so if you can buy it “fresh” do so, and if not, replace your cut-and-sifted or powdered spices every six months. You can also buy herbal supplements made with these fresh herbs, which help provide anti-inflammatory and therapeutic effects: oregano, rosemary, green tea and holy basil tea.

So, remember, when your muscles are aching and your bones aren’t movin’, spice up your life by adding a little more spice to your meals. It may just be what Mother Nature ordered.


Randy Buresh (Registered Nurse and Herbalist), is the co-owner and founder of Oregon’s Wild Harvest. Oregon’s Wild Harvest grows, harvests and produces their own medicinal herbal products, many of which use the herbs grown on their certified Biodynamic® and Organic farm in Sandy, Oregon.

  • Published on Dec 19, 2011
Tagged with: Reader Contributions
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