Spice Up Your Health

There's no doubt about it: food - herbs and spices in particular - is powerful medicine. This is good news for Dr. Robinson who continually urges patients to avoid unnecessary medications - many of which have potentially serious side effects.

For instance, a little bad breath is a small price to pay for the powerful health benefits of garlic. Research reveals that garlic lowers blood pressure and blood fats. It's also a natural antiviral, antifungal and antibacterial agent.

But that's just for openers. Scientists reporting in the European Journal of Pharmacology note that the "stinking rose" may reduce the risk of several cancers. Laboratory studies show that its extracts and components effectively block experimentally induced tumors.

And, findings, published in the medical journal, BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders, found that that garlic may ward off osteoarthritis. Specifically, garlic contains a compound called diallyl disulphide. This compound limits the amount of cartilage-damaging enzymes when introduced to a human cartilage cell-line in the laboratory.

Garlic's secret ingredient is allicin, which gives the seasoning its characteristic taste and odor. The researchers in the above-cited journal found that it's the allicin that actually inhibits the growth of cancer cells.