I’ve never had a green thumb; in fact, I’ve wasted so much money and time trying to grow beautiful flowers on my deck. This year, I decided to stop the heartbreak and grow herbs instead. They don’t require a lot of work, and they’re so fragrant when picked fresh. This got me thinking about the many health benefits of herbs. Here’s a look at what I’m growing.
Easy Herbs to Grow Indoors
Thyme is an excellent source of vitamin C, making it a great herb to promote antioxidant protection. Adding to this is the variety of flavonoids thyme contains, including apigenin, luteolin, and thymonin. Thyme complements poultry and can be added to soups or stews at the end of cooking. When cooking with dried thyme, add it at the beginning, so it has enough time to bring out its full flavor. You can also add fresh thyme to homemade salad dressings.
Oregano is an excellent source of vitamin K, which is needed to direct calcium into our bones. Oregano contains thymol and carvacrol, two volatile oils that are beneficial to our health. Fresh oregano can be used in salad dressings or as a topping for cooked soups, pizza, and spaghetti.
Basil is a great source of vitamin K and manganese. Manganese is a trace mineral required as a co-factor necessary to make collagen, making this mineral essential for healthy skin. I’ve already discussed the benefits of K for bone health, but it is also best known for the role it plays in healthy blood clotting. When we cut ourselves, vitamin K comes to the rescue to help clot and stop the bleeding. Add fresh basil to guacamole, top pasta with fresh chopped basil, or add chopped basil to salads. The most common use of fresh basil is to make pesto. Follow this link to a delicious pesto recipe.
Cilantro is also packed with vitamin K and is a good source of vitamins A and C. Cilantro provides powerful antioxidant protection due to its remarkable phytonutrient and flavonoid content. Dodecenal is a compound found in abundance in cilantro, which can be very beneficial to our health. Use cilantro in place of basil as a pesto, stir chopped cilantro into guacamole, blend into salsa, or add chopped cilantro to salads.
Even if you don’t want to grow your own herbs, you can still benefit from dried herbs.
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