A Sprinkle of Cancer-Fighting Spice — Nice!
Why? Because not only is it one of the trendiest cooking spices, but the fragrant needle-leaved herb is also showing early promise as a cancer killer.
Antioxidant Action
Human studies are needed to confirm the effects, but in cell studies, rosemary extract has given both breast cancer and leukemia cells a real fight. That’s good news about an herb we already know is chock-full of antioxidants — those free-radical killers that help protect you from cell-level damage.
4 Ways to Get More Rosemary into Your Life
Stick a fresh sprig in your lemonade, or steep it in hot tea.
Add chopped rosemary to your tossed salads.
Use fresh or dried rosemary in marinades for meats or vegetables (olive oil, fresh or dried rosemary, and soy sauce make a nice, simple one).
Try this delicious rosemary-infused recipe :
These simple sautéed mushrooms work as a quick, weeknight side dish. To turn them into a main course, toss with cooked pasta and a generous handful of Parmesan cheese or fold into an omelet with Gruyère, fontina or Swiss cheese.
Makes 4 servings, about 3/4 cup each
ACTIVE TIME: 20 minutes
TOTAL TIME: 20 minutes
EASE OF PREPARATION: Easy
1 ounce bacon (about 11/2 slices), chopped
1 1/2 pounds mixed mushrooms, such as cremini, shiitake (stemmed) and portobello, cut into 1/4-inch slices
2 medium cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary or 1/2 teaspoon dried
1/4 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground pepper to taste
1/4 cup dry white wine
Cook bacon in a large skillet over medium heat until just beginning to brown, about 4 minutes. Add mushrooms, garlic, rosemary, salt and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until almost dry, 8 to 10 minutes. Pour in wine and cook until most of the liquid has evaporated, 30 seconds to 1 minute.
Browse Encouraging Healthfor more health tips.
March 18th, 2008 at 7:18 pm
Very interesting Brick, thanks for sharing. I love rosemary but had no idea about it’s medicinal properties.
March 19th, 2008 at 11:15 am
Thank you for responding, Sandra! Appreciate it very much. Herbs and spices have many dual purposes, both flavor and medicinal. It’s a ‘two-for’ one punch