Dr. Keith Scott –

Scientists at the University of Tokyo have shown that the spice-based compound, linalool reduces the effects of stress on the immune system.

Linalool is a fragrant compound found in several plants including the spices, sweet basil, thyme, cinnamon, bay leaf and fruits such as citrus and mangoes. For many years it has been used extensively in aromatherapy essential oils and as a fragrance for soaps, shampoos and other toiletries.

Linalool is well known as one of the most important calming fragrances and, until this research was published, was thought to act only on the nervous system. However, writing in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry Akio Nakamura and his colleagues demonstrate that its action extends beyond the brain to the immune system itself.

In a controlled study the researchers exposed a treatment group of stressed rats to linalool fragrance. At the end of the two hour stress period they measured the white blood cell count, hormone levels and gene activation levels of both the treated and control groups.

The blood tests following the experiment showed that stress hormone levels in both the control and treatment groups were significantly raised at the end of the two hour stress period.

Under ordinary circumstances corticoid stress hormones would be expected to suppress the immune response. However, while the rats that were not exposed to linalool showed the expected stress-related drop in their white blood cell counts, those that were exposed to linalool fragrance maintained normal leukocyte and lymphocyte white blood cell levels. Moreover the rats in the linalool group had far fewer “stress genes” activated than those in the control group.

This study indicates that inhaling an aromatic compound such as linalool has both psychological AND a physiological effects; and reflects our increasing understanding of the extensive links and interactions between the nervous and immune systems.

For some time now we have been well aware that spices contain many important antioxidants and other bioactive compounds that have an exceptionally positive impact on our health. Now we know that when we bite into that Caprese salad the delicious basil fragrance is not only going to enhance our dining experience, but will also help to protect us from the latest viruses doing the rounds.

So, next time you are feeling a little stressed-out, make sure that you add some sweet basil, thyme, cinnamon and bay leaf to your meal. These tasty spices will start defending your immune system even before they reach your stomach!

References:

1. Stress Repression in Restrained Rats by Linalool Inhalation and Gene Expression Profiling of Their Whole Blood Cells. J. Agric. Food Chem., 2009, 57 (12), pp 5480–5485 Akio Nakamura, Satoshi Fujiwara, Ichiro Matsumoto’ Keiko Abe

1. Olfactory influences on mood and autonomic, endocrine, and immune function. Psychoneuroendocrinology. 2008 Apr;33(3):328-39. Kiecolt-Glaser JK, Graham JE, Malarkey WB, Porter K, Lemeshow S, Glaser R.

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In Cape Town, South Africa there is a very well known expert named Dr. Keith Scott who has been interested in the nutritional aspects of disease since he qualified as a doctor over 30 years ago.

Watch This Amazing Video About Dr. Keith Scott – Click Here!

I have been personally studying his work and I have found him and his discoveries fascinating! I contacted Dr. Scott and asked him if his highly specialized work had lead to any discovery of spices that could help with stress relief. He said “YES!” So I have asked him to tell us about his findings from over 30 years of research and trials in the world of spices.

He is quite an extrodinary doctor with a very unique perspective on medicine.

Dr. Keith Scott –

Melancholy Mood? Look No Further Than Your Food!

What many of us have known for years – that one of the causes of depression and anxiety is a poor quality diet – has now been scientifically proven.

Mediterranean diet beats depression

At least three scientific studies over the past year have shown that a good, so called “traditional” diet can REDUCE the risk of depression by up to 30%. On the other hand those who eat a “westernized” diet INCREASE their risk of depression by up to 50%.

These research papers show that individuals who follow a Mediterranean type diet have far lower incidences of depression than those who eat a typical western style diet.

A Mediterranean diet typically consists of whole grains, pulses, fruit, vegetables, herbs, spices, seafood and low levels of saturated fats.

A typical western diet, on the other hand, consists primarily of refined carbohydrates, sugar, high levels of animal-based saturated fats and very few fruit and vegetables.

Diet affects physical and mental diseases

For some years nutritionists have accepted that those who adhere to a Mediterranean type diet have lower risk levels for physical illnesses such as cancer, heart disease, diabetes and other degenerative diseases.

With researchers now taking a closer look at the relationship between mental illnesses and nutrition it is now apparent that, by making fundamental changes to our eating habits, we can also reduce the risk of succumbing to common mental diseases.

This should not come as too much of a surprise to us – the brain is an organ and as such is subject to similar environmental stresses as other organs and tissues. As such it becomes more and more susceptible to disease as it ages.

Value of spices and fatty acids

Some important dietary components of a whole food diet are omega-3 fatty acids and spices such as oregano, turmeric, thyme, sage, saffron and rosemary. These foods have all been shown to have positive bioactive effects on the brain and protect against depression, anxiety, Alzheimer’s disease and other neurological conditions.

How diet affects the brain

Precisely how diet influences the incidence of anxiety and depression is not entirely clear. However it does appear as though a good diet enhances the levels of neurotrophins in the brain. Neurotrophins are proteins that stimulate the formation of new neurons in the brain and support the survival of existing neurons. The various neurotrophins are thought to be the key to preventing many mental illnesses including depression.

Young brains also need good food

Anxiety, stress and depression are often interlinked conditions and increase in incidence as we age. However the seeds of these disorders are often sown in the early years as nutrition has a substantial impact on the young, developing brain.

Consistently eating a good diet from babyhood onward is one of the most important ways in which we can delay aging and prevent developing degenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease, cancer, heart disease, diabetes and other illnesses.

The dietary key to the maintenance of a healthy mind and body is to follow, as closely as possible, a whole food diet as typified by the Mediterranean diet. It is also worth bearing in mind that true Mediterranean cuisine includes a wide variety of culinary herbs and spices – a fact often overlooked by those who advocate this healthy way of eating.

Swapping the refined food in your diet for more wholesome fare will go a long way to lifting you out of the doldrums. Moreover, adding plenty of herbs and spices to your cooking will make a significant contribution to your continued physical and mental wellbeing.

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In Cape Town, South Africa there is a very well known expert named Dr. Keith Scott who has been interested in the nutritional aspects of disease since he qualified as a doctor over 30 years ago.

I have been personally studying his work and I have found him and his discoveries fascinating! I contacted Dr. Scott and asked him if his highly specialized work had lead to any discovery of spices that could help with stress relief. He said “YES!” So I have asked him to tell us about his findings from over 30 years of research and trials in the world of spices.

He is quite an extrodinary doctor with a very unique perspective on medicine.

In Cape Town, South Africa there is a very well known expert named Dr. Keith Scott who has been interested in the nutritional aspects of disease since he qualified as a doctor over 30 years ago.

I have been personally studying his work and I have found him and his discoveries fascinating! I contacted Dr. Scott and asked him if his highly specialized work had lead to any discovery of spices that could help with stress relief. He said “YES!” So I have asked him to tell us about his findings from over 30 years of research and trials in the world of spices.

He is quite an extrodinary doctor with a very unique perspective on medicine. So it’s with great pleasure that I introduce to you…

Dr. Keith Scott –

A Spicy Tale

A couple of years ago I started writing my third book on a health related topic Medicinal Seasonings: The Healing Power of Spices. While carrying out research for the book, numerous references to scientific studies showing how important spices are in helping to prevent and treat a variety of diseases, kept turning up.The closer I looked into this subject the more I discovered how much research was being done into the therapeutic and preventive properties of spices.

That warm feeling you get after you have eaten a very spicy meal is not only a result of the heating effects of chilies and other spices. Apart from their delicious flavors and metabolism-boosting effects, all spices have extremely valuable health enhancing properties.

What has this got to do with stress you may ask?

The answer is that, while all culinary herbs and spices provide health benefits, a select few have also been shown to act directly on the brain and nervous system to relieve stress and neurological disorders.

‘Stress’ as used in a colloquial context is usually a result of our maladaptation to the physical and emotional pressures of everyday life. Moreover, when our bodies are in a malnourished or diseased state we find it a lot more difficult to deal with emotional stress than when we are well nourished and physically healthy.

Spices (I include culinary herbs in this context) are still somewhat unrecognized as a source of a huge number of vital nutrients. Not many people know that they are the best source of antioxidants of all food groups. A study in the July 2006 edition of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that clove, oregano, ginger, turmeric and cinnamon had the highest antioxidant activity of ALL FOODS, including antioxidant-rich fruits such as blueberries.

Antioxidants are needed by our bodies to counter the free radical damage that underlies most common degenerative diseases.

There is not enough space here to elaborate on the general benefits of spices to our health. However it is worth noting that all chronic degenerative diseases are associated with free radical damage and an increased incidence of anxiety, stress and depression.

Therefore preventing or treating these related conditions by eating antioxidant-rich foods like spices, will also help to reduce the incidence and severity of these conditions.

Apart from their general benefits to health specific spices such as saffron, sage, chillies and cardamom do have positive benefits on a number of neurological conditions such as anxiety, depression and stress.

The following is a brief summary of the most important spices for anxiety, depression and stress:

Saffron

For centuries, saffron has been used to treat depression in traditional Persian medical systems.

Recently several clinical trials have shown that this yellow spice is indeed as effective as many of our current anti-depressant drugs in treating mild to moderate depression.

The first of these was a double-blind placebo controlled trial where patients with depression were given 30mg of saffron extract daily for six weeks. By the end of this period depression in the treatment group had improved by a far greater extent than the placebo group.

In two other clinical trials depressed patients taking saffron were compared to those taking two commonly prescribed anti-depressant drugs, imipramine and fluexitine (Prozac). In both these trials saffron was found to be at least as effective as the two modern drugs. An important bonus was that no side effects were observed in the patients taking saffron.

Chillies

Chillies also have mood elevating effects. They work by stimulating a specific type of pain receptor (called TRPV1) on sensory nerve endings. When these nerves are stimulated they signal the brain to release chemicals called endorphins. Endorphins, in turn, stimulate the release of the brain chemical, dopamine which in turn acts as a mood elevator and relieves depression.

Many modern antidepressant drugs also work by increasing levels of dopamine in the brain.

Sage

A double blind placebo controlled trial has shown that sage reduces anxiety and elevates mood. It has been known for several years that compounds in this spice work by inhibiting cholinesterase, an enzyme that is intimately involved in the transmission of signals across nerve synapses.

What is more, sage has the added benefit of improving memory.

Cardamom

Cardamom has been used by traditional Ayurvedic practitioners to treat depression in India for thousands of years. Although there are no clinical trials to back up the use of this spice to treat depression there are biochemical reasons that indicate why it is effective.

Use lots of different spices

Spices tend to work more effectively when taken in combination with one another. The wider the selection of spices that you take every day, the more health benefits you can expect to gain from these amazing super-foods.

Spices can boost both your physical and mental wellbeing and in so doing provide you with a valuable foundation in your efforts to mitigate the many stressors that impact on your daily lives.

For more information on Dr. Keith Scott, please visit his website: www.medicinal-herbs-and-spices.com