Dr. Guan Zhongyun answers for you: There must be all kinds of spices in our kitchen, which can not only add fragrance to dishes, but also play an unexpected health care role. Next, let's take a look at the unexpected effects of four spices.

The unexpected effects of four spices

Cumin: Regulate the stomach and help digestion. In the night market, skewered beer is very popular. Chili powder, cumin ... all kinds of seasonings are complete. Although mutton kebabs are delicious, they are not easy to digest when eaten too much. At this time, cumin played an important role. Sprinkle some cumin on kebabs, which is not only used for seasoning to get rid of greasy, but also can induce diuresis, calm down, relieve flatulence and help digestion. Cumin is rich in protein, fat, inorganic salts, and seven mineral elements, such as calcium, iron, magnesium, potassium, zinc, copper and phosphorus, with high nutritional value.

Cinnamon: Warming up and lowering blood sugar. Cinnamon can play a dual role in warming up and lowering blood sugar, especially for diabetics. In addition to putting some cinnamon when you need to stew at home, you can also make osmanthus tea. Pour 2 spoonfuls of dried cinnamon powder into 1 cup of boiling water, soak for about 10 minute, and then filter. It is better to add some honey. However, cinnamon should not be taken for a long time, and it is best not to exceed 4 grams a day.

Turmeric powder: anti-oxidation has a miraculous effect. Curcumin in turmeric powder is a natural effective component, which has many health care functions and belongs to natural phenolic antioxidants. Curcumin is also the main yellow pigment in curry and mustard, so the curry you usually see is golden yellow.

Rosemary: a powerful antibacterial agent. Rosemary is a common spice in western food, especially in barbecue dishes such as steak. It can refresh the mind, calm the nerves, and most importantly, it contains antibacterial properties, which can fight against harmful bacteria in the body.

So, what are the side effects of spices?

Side effects of spices

Edible spices are generally not harmful to the body because of their small dosage. However, in recent years, it has been found that some natural spices contain safrole, which is a liquid with strong aromatic smell. Animal experiments have found that it can cause liver diseases, so the potential harm of natural spices to human body can not be ignored. Most artificial flavors come from petrochemical products, coal tar and other raw materials, including esters, acids, alcohols, phenols, ketones, ethers, lactones and so on. Due to different raw materials and formulas, the smell of artificial flavors is also different. There are many kinds of flavor monomers, some are toxic and some are non-toxic. To ensure the safe use of artificial edible essence, we must start with the essence monomer. According to national standards, flavor monomers are divided into ① allowed flavor monomers, ② temporarily allowed flavor monomers and ③ prohibited flavor monomers.

Finally, teach you how to buy spices.

Tips for buying spices

Compared with natural spices, chemical flavors have similar or even stronger fragrance, but they are not the same in terms of fragrance quality, calming the nerves and keeping healthy, enlightening the spirit and so on. Many natural spices are listed as top-grade medicinal materials, and as synthetic spices of chemical products, they look very fragrant at first glance, but if used too much, they will be harmful to health. Moreover, even in terms of smell alone, chemical flavors are only close to and far from natural flavors.

Chemical flavors and fragrances are popular because most pilgrims just burn incense as a ritual. Since we don't smell or taste incense, we just burn incense to see, naturally we ignore the material, formula and quality of incense, and only pay attention to the beauty or rich fragrance of incense.

The extensive use of chemical essence and chemical processing technology has also substantially changed the modern and contemporary aroma-making technology. Although some traditional methods and techniques are still adopted, they are only peripheral and formal, while the core contents such as the selection, processing, compatibility and temperature of spices are discarded. One of the consequences is that the aroma-making technology is interrupted and the aroma spectrum formula is lost, so that few people are really proficient in the traditional aroma-making technology.

Spices have unexpected effects, but they should be eaten properly.