As I enter the aromatic bliss olfactorily attunes me to spirited Holy Lands. A suburban Temple of Spice, an Ashram of sensory stimulation. Walking up and down each aisle brings a spectrum of India to the forefront, from curries, to bulk spices, to teas to incense.
The resonance of each spice uplifts the room with the felt presence of a multitude of plant spirits permeating the senses and bringing an ambiance of simple rustic Nature made Divine. Holy shrines to the Gods and Goddesses enchant the room bringing a multidimensional spectrum from roots to leaves to Divine spirit
I gather my spices and bring my stash home. I put them in their jars, with gratitude and prayer cook a spiced up meal. Simple but the way I like it, with greens from the garden and liberal on the spices.
It's nice having a wider perspective on spices. While I'm still fascinated by their pharmacological properties, I can appreciate a wider lens than in the past where it was pharmaco-centricity
Nonetheless, a pharmacological view of spices isn't that common so I'll share. There's a lot on turmeric out there but the other spices often get overlooked
Black mustard seeds contains glucosinolates yielding allyl isothiocyante which, along with anti-inflammatory activity, increased levels of plasticity markers, as well as an antioxidant gene regulator, Nrf2, similarly to broccoli's sulforaphane [1, 2] It's an interesting one: "added to cooked broccoli, the bioavailability of sulforaphane is over four times greater than that from broccoli ingested alone" and it's of potential use added to sprouts.
Coriander seed is well-known for its CNS effects and has been used in folk medicines for treatment of anxiety and insomnia. It exhibits a wide range of CNS-related activities including neuroprotective, anxiolytic, anticonvulsant, analgesic and migraine relieving activities [3]
Cumin, containing terpenes, phenolics/flavonoids, has anti-stress, antioxidant, and memory-enhancing activities [4] alongside other beneficial activities [5]
Ginger exhibited the significant beneficial effects on the CNS [6] with neuroprotective, anti-inflammatory, immunomodulatory and anti-oxidative characteristics [7]
Fenugreek has antidiabetic and neuroprotective effects [8] improved learning and memory processes [9], showed significant anti-anxiety effects [10] and antidepressant effects [11]
Black pepper contains piperine and is a potential functional food to improve brain function [12], has been reported to have antidepressant-like effects through BDNF [13] anxiolytic/anticonvulsant activity [14] and pro-cognitive effects [15]
Cinnamon's polyphenols and cinnamaldehyde have beneficial effects on the brain, also improving learning and memory [16]
Clove's essential oil has antidepressant properties [17] and is a rich source of neuroprotective polyphenols and constituents like maslinic acid which shows anti-psychotic activity [18]
Cardamon had antidiabetic, antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties [19] along with anti-anxiety properties [20]
Fennel has been proposed to be useful for the treatment of cognitive disorders [21]
Finally, The Gold of Spices, Saffron
Quite quickly Saffron increases mood, reduces anxiety and manages stress without side effects in studies and has been used as a standalone and adjunctive treatment. It has been traditionally used for the treatment of insomnia and other diseases of the nervous systems, it has sleep quality improving effects. Crocins attenuated schizophrenia-like behavioural deficits and reduce compulsive behaviours. It has a satiating effect and decreases the frequency of snacking events. It's been used in emotional disorders and it was found that using saffron (30 mg/day) was effective in relieving symptoms in some cases.
Crocin can regulate HPA axis activity and has therapeutic effects in stress disorders, potentially PTSD where it is effective in an animal model. It may serve an appropriate treatment for subjects who experience a extremely stressful or traumatic event.
Saffron and its metabolites have proven to be effective in different models of psychiatric disorders, including depression and anxiety. It is as least effective as first-line medications for MDD in quality studies with less side effects.
It's got a good safety margin, while 30mg may prove effective “to a daily maximum dose of 1.5 grams there has not been any risk documented. Lethal dose is 20 g and the abortive dose, 10 g, because as such it was employed in the past due to its stimulating action on the smooth muscle of the uterus. 5 g daily dose can already cause intoxication accompanied by vomiting, bloody diarrhea, hematuria, skin hemorrhages in nose, lips and eyelids, vertigo and dulling. The skin and mucous membranes take a yellowish colour similar to jaundice”.
Crocin is an isolated chemical compound that belongs to a group of commercial carotenoid derived from the stigma branches of dried saffron. The spice’s high antioxidant capacity explains most of its preventive or healing properties in relation to chronic and degenerative diseases
Crocin and crocetin may have a neuroprotective effect because of their anti-inflammatory action in microglial cells, as tested in rat brains, accompanied by a reduction in neurotoxic molecules (TNF-α, interleukin-1β and intracellular ROS. The restoration of a redox balance in brain tissues can be a good therapeutic strategy to limit neuro-inflammation and consequently tissue oxidative damage). Many of the anti-inflammatory effects of crocin demonstrated in animal models of neuronal degeneration could be mediated by its direct effects on microglia homeostasis.
It also has anti-adiposity effects
Crocin can be considered as healthcare product to prevent age-related brain diseases, it is able to enhance memory function in an aging model through anti-glycative and anti-oxidative properties which finally can suppress brain inflammatory mediators and increase protective pathways
Crocin can improve learning and memory and may prevent neurodegenerative disorders including Alzheimer's disease. Saffron is a source of novel acetylcholinesterase inhibitors. It is not mutagenic and prevents alcohol-induced disorders of memory and learning. Its mechanism is thought to be prevention of the inhibitory effect of ethanol on N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) glutamate receptors in the hippocampus. It has clear binding capacity at the PCP binding side of the NMDA receptor and at the sigma(1) receptor
There is an anti-fatigue effect of crocetin - its intake improved performance when taken 4 h before a physical fatigue-inducing task
Treatment with saffron extract for seven consecutive days in a study conducted in rats in an experimental model of MS improved learning and memory impairment and alterations in the parameters of oxidative stress in the hippocampus. Clinically saffron was able to reduce MS symptoms - crocetin might prevent demyelination and neurodegeneration. Such findings show that saffron may potentially prove useful in the treatment of MS through the inhibition of oxidative stress and the infiltration of leukocytes to the CNS.
Saffron protects many cells of the dopaminergic system with relevance to Parkinson's disease.
Studies on the bioactive substances of saffron in depression indicate that the crocin acts by inhibiting the reuptake of dopamine and norepinephrine neurotransmitters, while safranal inhibits the reuptake of serotonin
[1] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30406889
[2] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27043505
[3] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29433220
[4] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21639683
[5] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26010662
[6] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30084567
[7] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30243185
[8] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22373803
[9] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29681009
[10] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27639708
[11] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25176235
[12] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18639606
[13] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29063362
[14] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25149996
[15] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25149996
[16] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29258915
[17] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25590367
[18] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28899728
[19] https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S1043-4666(18)30405-8
[20] https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S0753-3322(16)31555-4
[21] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17004908
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