Opportunities for Health Promotion: Highlighting Herbs and Spices to Improve Immune Support and Well-being

Abstract

Context

Consuming a balanced and varied diet is beneficial for health, especially when individuals feel stressed, scared, insecure, unequipped, or disempowered from maintaining their health during the COVID-19 pandemic. Nutrient deficiencies from inadequate intake of healthful foods can contribute to a weakened immune system and greater susceptibility to infection. Including herbs and spices in a balanced and diverse diet is one of the highlights of nutritious eating that supports health and immunity.

Objective

The review intended to examine ways to integrate specific herbs and spices into people’s diets and to use them therapeutically in holistic, integrated health promotion.

Design

The research team performed a narrative review by searching PubMed Central and Google Scholar databases. The team developed a search strategy focused on specific common names of spices and herbs in combination with other terms, such as health benefits, health promotion, immunity, inflammation.

Setting

This review was conducted in Muncie and Columbus, Indiana.

Results

This review uncovered studies documenting the many therapeutic properties of herbs within the lamiaceae family, particularly basil and spearmint, and spices, including cloves, ginger, and turmeric. Substantial evidence suggests that consumption of a healthful diet, inclusive of herbs and spices, may strengthen the body’s immune system against diseases including highly contagious viruses.

Conclusions

With respect to herbs and spices, the current review’s findings can help to inform and support future recommendations for a standard within the professions of health to provide an improved, healthier, and well-educated dietary guidance for individuals. More studies are needed on the consumption of herbs and spices in human trials to elicit evidence beyond preclinical and animal studies.

Introduction

The COVID-19 pandemic, caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) that began in December 2019, has created a shared global concern for health and well-being, with opportunities for health promotion across all cultures and nations. In response, healthcare professionals have been urgently tasked with providing clear and concise messaging around optimal immune function.

The immune system is vitally important to human health. Throughout the spectrum of global public health, many messages of guidance are being given regularly to promote and improve the health and safety of people around the world. Such health promotion messages include guidance related to proper sanitation and hygiene, wearing of masks, physical distancing, regular physical activity, and the importance of healthy food intake.^1,2

The respiratory symptoms associated with the novel coronavirus COVID-19 occur as a result of a cytokine storm3 that overwhelms the host’s immune system with a surging inflammatory response in a very short time. This immune surge sparks a reaction much like that of autoimmune conditions, in which the innate defense systems of the body begin working overtime, damaging internal structures in the attempt to defend against the virus. This results in chronic inflammation3 and progressive health decline.

The inflammatory cytokine reaction is only one molecular response signal and trackable biomarker to determine the health of the body’s immune system, and many other factors of relevance to the body’s immune response are outside of this review’s scope and have been published elsewhere.^4-6 Furthermore, healthcare professionals and emerging research have emphasized the changes to diet and lifestyle behaviors that are related to COVID-19 and to the severity of its symptoms.^7-11

Many people have been inclined to consume more comfort foods and follow unhealthy dietary practices during these extraordinary times of stress and high uncertainty.^12-15 Generally, these foods are highly processed and have large amounts of added fat, sugar, and sodium.^16,17 Furthermore, stressful experiences during the pandemic may lead to irregular eating patterns,^18,19 increased snacking, and decreased consumption of nutritious foods²⁰ and beverages, which exacerbate health risks associated with overweight and obesity.²¹ Environments of food scarcity, financial insecurity, lockdown, social distancing, and subsequent lack of sleep can further aggravate stress and anxiety, weakening the immune system and compromising the body’s natural healing processes and innate recovery potential.

Greater susceptibility to COVID-19 and a poor immune response and recovery have been observed in people with a variety of lifestyle-related, chronic health problems, such as type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, lung disease, certain types of cancer, and weight issues, such as being overweight or obese.^8,21,22 Therefore, maintaining nutritional standards through healthful eating is an important step toward active health promotion in the integrated treatment of health conditions and can help prevent potential future diseases. Supporting the immune system using nutrition, including the herbs and spices identified in this review, should be considered to be a healthy dietary practice that may reduce the predisposition to risk and support overall health and recovery.¹⁶

Consuming a balanced and varied diet is beneficial for health, especially when individuals feel stressed, scared, insecure, unequipped, or disempowered from maintaining their health during these vulnerable times.^13,15,23 Nutrition can play a vital role in both physical and mental health and may be critically important in immunology.^24,25 Nutrient deficiencies from inadequate intake of healthful foods can contribute to a weakened immune system and greater susceptibility to infection.

As such, the World Health Organization (WHO) encourages the public to consume a variety of fresh and unprocessed foods daily to maximize nutrition and support healthy immunity.¹⁷ They also suggest avoiding excess added sugar, fat, and sodium to lower the risk of health problems and chronic diseases.²⁶ By following their recommendations many improvements to health and wellbeing can be easily achieved.

As part of a healthy diet, many plants provide a powerful source of nutrition through antioxidants, polyphenols, phytochemicals and other bioactive compounds, together with needed vitamins and minerals. Because the public may continue to choose and consume highly-processed, packaged foods that often lack nutrient density,²⁷ working nutrition into a well-developed, integrated model of care is important. All clinicians must work collaboratively to implement healthful guidance to help shape and improve the public’s overall eating patterns and health status during this COVID-19 pandemic.

Globally, nutritional guidelines focus more on food groups—fruits, vegetables, grains, dairy, meats— rather than herbs and spices—derivatives of plants. Many vital nutrients—such as vitamins A, C, and E; minerals like zinc28; selenium; and iron^5,29; and other emerging bioactive compounds—such as antioxidants,^30,31 phytochemicals,^32,33 polyphenols, and flavonoids^34,35—have been explored for their effects in promoting immunity.

Herbs and spices have been used for centuries36 in various parts of the world for food coloring, flavoring, and preserving as well as many for applications in nutrition and medicine. They have been sought after for their many innate health promoting properties, with applications in anti-inflammatory,³⁷ antiviral,^38-41 antimicrobial, antibacterial, antifungal, wound-healing,⁴² antimutagenic, and even anticancer^43,44 treatments.

Generally, herbs and spices comprise many plant parts, including leaves, roots, stems, seeds, berries, buds, bark, or flowers. Variations of these common natural ingredients have been used in cooking⁴⁵ and in medicine.^36,46 Although the prevalence of herbs and spices is extensive globally, only in recent years have preclinical and clinical research elaborated on their effectiveness in health promotion.⁴³

Also important to note, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has recognized herbs and spices as generally recognized as safe (GRAS) for human consumption.⁴⁷ Including herbs and spices in a balanced and diverse diet is one of the highlights of nutritious eating that supports health and immunity. They are generally low in calories, sodium, and fat and are devoid of cholesterol.

Although food ingredients contain many of the prophylactic compounds for immunity that are found in herbs and spices, it’s interesting to note that many of contemporary, pharmaceutically produced and broadly prescribed medicines have been engineered through scientific findings about natural plant parts.^48,49 One such example is the commonly prescribed medication to lower blood pressure known as coumadin, which is named after coumarin present in cinnamon.⁵⁰

Naturally, many herbs and spices contain greater levels of bioactive compounds than their synthetic counterparts.⁵¹ Another common spice, ginger, has long been recognized for aiding digestion⁵² and has been employed by both the food industry and medicine alike.^53-55 Traditionally, many other herbs and spices have been pursued for their medicinal properties and therapeutic effects including basil, rosemary, cilantro, mint, and turmeric.⁵⁶

Currently, individuals with contemporary eating patterns may remain deficient in the essential nutrients needed for optimal health,²⁷ and herbs and spices can provide substantial benefits to overall nutrition due to their high concentration of phytonutrients^32,33 and other bioactive compounds.

It has been observed that a large majority of the US population is unaware of the vast health benefits of herbs and spices.⁵⁷ The general public and healthcare professionals alike now report a growing interest and desire to learn more about the use of herbs and spices in health promotion.^57-59 Strengthening immune defenses through the regular intake of these ingredients may lead to decreased health risks and could potentially elicit a shortened recovery time. In fact, recent reports have even focused on the use of herbs and spices to reduce the effects of the cytokine cascades of inflammation in the body—similar to those seen in COVID-19 cases—with respect to individuals who are overweight, with metabolic syndrome and obesity.^60,61

This review intended to examine ways to integrate specific herbs and spices into people’s diets and to use them therapeutically in holistic, integrated health promotion. The review addresses ways in which individuals can improve their health and support their immunity. It includes common herbs with a potential impact on immune support, forms of herbs and spices, their influence on overall health status, the prevalence of bioactive compounds, and evidence of supporting research. Lastly, the review discusses the role of clinicians working collaboratively to promote well-being and educate the community about the health benefits of herbs and spices.

Methods

Sparked by collaborative interest in providing tangible insights for nutritional health promotion during the current pandemic, the research team completed a literature search using two databases, PubMed Central and Google Scholar. The team developed a search strategy focused on specific common names of spices—cinnamon, ginger, cloves, turmeric, cumin, chili pepper, paprika, black pepper, garlic, and onions—and herbs—basil, rosemary, sage, thyme, oregano, coriander, spearmint, peppermint, and fenugreek—in combination with other terms such as health benefits, health promotion, immunity, and inflammation. The team also hand-searched and found relevant articles to gain further insight.

Articles met inclusion criteria if they were published in English and were available in both abstract and full-text form, and if the primary focus of the article was herb-and-spice use for medical- or nutritional-health promotion or the implications of herbs and spices within the context of inflammation and immune function.

Articles were excluded if the full text wasn’t available or available in English, or if article’s focus was on herb-and-spice use in the context of production, processing, harvest, or horticulture.

In addition, reputable information and guidance on the events surrounding COVID-19 were sought by searching presentations, publications, and recommendations put forth by national and global authorities via a search of worldwide websites.

After screening articles, 247 abstracts were reviewed, and 126 articles were deemed relevant and screened using inclusion and exclusion criteria. Of them, 103 articles were included in the review. Due to the heterogeneity of literature reviewed in this report for the diverse herbs and spices covered, the research team further attempted to include the most relevant articles for each herb and spice. The team found notable differences in the previously published literature for specific herbs and spices, such as a large number of studies for cloves and turmeric compared to thyme and cumin.

Results

The reviewed literature revealed that many questions have been asked about herbs and spices, such as how do these natural ingredients provide therapeutic effects, what bioactive compounds exist within them, and what applications may they provide for the future of health and medicine.

The interest about natural ingredient formularies for prevention and treatment for contagious disease is shared globally due to growing antibiotic resistance and other harmful pathogens endangering human health. Furthermore, hundreds, if not thousands, of species of herbs, spices, and medicinal plants have research interest, with a similarly high number of biological compounds and activities expected to be found with effects in human health.

The current review found many investigations for herbs within the lamiaceae family, especially basil^62-67 and spearmint^68-74 as well as spices, including cloves,^75-80 ginger,^81-98 and turmeric.^56,85,99-106 The majority of investigations have focused on the antibacterial, antiviral, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant potential of herbs and spices. Many other herbs and spices may be of research interest for human health but exist outside of those most commonly consumed ones that this review includes.

The findings of this review underscore the importance of the diet and lifestyle choices needed to promote health and immune support¹⁰⁷ as well as future preventive measures. Maintaining the immune system’s healthy functions of regulating environmental factors and responding appropriately through recovery, requires a sufficient supply of essential nutrients for optimal health. As presented in the tables in the review, substantial evidence suggests that consumption of a healthful diet, inclusive of herbs and spices, can strengthen the body’s abilities to defend, respond, and recover from diseases such as highly contagious viruses.

Consumption of herbs of spices may be considered to be important to healthy individuals for health promotion across their lifespans. It’s important to recognize that the literature reviewed suggests that regular intake of such herbs and spices supports overall immunity and may help prevent illness; the investigation as to whether herbs and spices cure illness is beyond the scope of this review.

Complementary health benefits in the use of herbs and spices for immune support may include a reduction in acute and chronic inflammation,^33,108-110 blood pressure, cholesterol,¹¹¹ free-radical damage, and even pain.¹¹² Mechanisms elucidating these benefits result from the positive impact of directly using herbs and spices and replacing and/or reducing the use of less healthy ingredients in standard cooking, such as high levels of sodium, sugar, saturated fat, and processed oils.^46,113 In particular, herbs and spices have been used to help reduce sodium consumption and lower blood pressure,¹¹⁴ reducing risks for cardiovascular disease¹¹⁵ and stroke.¹¹⁶ Tables 1 and 2 detail these studies as well as additional ones.^117-164

Table 1.

Common Herbs Used With Potential Impact for Immune Support. Special attention can be given to the lamiaceae family because these botanical plants are closely related, with similar bioactive compounds; therefore, they should have similar benefits. One of the principle and potent compounds, rosmarinic acid, is shared among this family of herbs. The table highlights the countless potential benefits from antioxidants, polyphenols, phytochemicals, and other constituents of all plant parts. The table doesn’t differentiate between method of consumption, cooking, and preparation, but rather spotlights the substantial understanding for the health promoting benefits of eating more herbs and spices. The table also includes garlic and onion because they are commonly used similarity to herbs and spices as well as various teas because they are primarily curated from a mixture of herbs and spices.

Common Name	Binomial Name	Family (botanical)	Herb/Spice; Plant Used	Impact(s) on Immunity / Health Benefit(s)	Bioactive Compound(s)	Research to Support: (Author / year)
Sweet Basil, Holy Basil, Tulsi	Ocimum basilicum L, Ocimum tenuiflorum	Lamiaceae	Herb; fresh and dried leaves and shoots	Antitumor Antioxidant Anti-inflammatory Antifungal Antiviral Antibacterial	D-Linalool, methyl chavicol, eugenol cineole, apigenin, catechins, quercetin, rutin, kaempferol, anthocyanins, limonene, terpinene, carvacrol, geraniol, menthol, safrole, tannins, ursolic, p-coumaric, rosmarinic acids	Singh et al, 201962 Chiang et al, 200563 Jayasinghe et al, 200364 Grayer et al, 199665 Kadhim et al, 201666 Kubiça et al, 201467
Rosemary	Rosmarinus officinalis L	Lamiaceae	Herb; fresh and dried leaves and shoots	Antitumor Antioxidant Anti-inflammatory	Cineole, borneol, linalool, eucalyptol, camphor, bornyl acetate, α-pinene, camphene, sabinene, phellandrene, α-terpinene, rosmarinic acid, ditarpenes, carnosic acid, carnosol, caffeic acid, limonene rosmanol	Shin et al, 2013117 Shetty, 1997119 Chohan et al, 2014120
Sage	Salvia officinalis	Lamiaceae	Herb; fresh and dried leaves and shoots	Antitumor Antioxidant Anti-inflammatory Antibacterial Antiviral Antimicrobial	Thujone, borneol, cineole, bornylesters, α-pinene, camphene, sabinene, limonene, geraniol saponin, catechins, apigenin, luteolin, phellandrene, α-terpinene, rosmarinic acid, caffeic acid, flavonoids	Shetty, 1997119 Chohan et al, 2014120 Santoyo et al, 2014121
Thyme	Thymus vulgaris L	Lamiaceae	Herb; fresh and dried leaves and shoots	Antitumor Antioxidant Anti-Inflammatory Anti-Bacterial Antiviral Antimicrobial	Thymol, carvacol, linalool, L-borneol, geraniol, amyl alcohol, β-pinene, camphene, p-cymene, caryophyllene, 1,8 cineole	El-Awady et al, 2014118 Koch et al, 200881
Oregano	Origamum vulgare L	Lamiaceae	Herb; fresh and dried leaves, shoots, and flowers	Antioxidant Anti-inflammatory Antibacterial Antiviral Antimicrobial	Thymol, carvacrol, α-pinene, cineole, linalyl acetate, linalool, dipentene, p-cymene, β-caryophyllene, carnosic acid, carnosol, caffeic acid, rosmarinic acid, flavonoids, apigegnin, diosmin, luteolin, tannins, camphor, pinene, cineole, quercetin, p-coumaric, protocatechuic acid Diosmetin, myricetin	Shin et al, 2013117Santoyo et al, 2014120 Meneses et al, 2009122 Gilling et al, 2014123 Chun et al, 2005124
Coriander (Cilantro)	Coriandrum sativum	Apiaceae	Herb; fresh and dried leaves, and fruits	Antibacterial Antifungal Anti-inflammatory Antispasmodic Antimicrobial Antioxidant	D-LinaloolD-α-pinene, β-pinene, α and γ-terpinene, gerciniol, borneol, p-cymene, linalool, carvone, limonene, borneol, geraniol, camphor, and elemol, apigenin, rhamnetin, keampferol, quercetin, vanillic acids, rutin, tocopherols, pyrogallol, terpineol, cumene	Pathak Nimish et al, 2011125 Martins et al, 2016126 Nadeem et al, 2013127
Spearmint, Peppermint	Mentha spicata, Mentha X piperita	Lamiaceae	Herb; fresh and dried leaves and shoots	Antimicrobial, antispasmodic, carminative, and antiviral agents Antioxidant Antiulcer Cytoprotective Hepatoprotective Cholagogue Chemopreventive Anti-inflammatory Antidiabetogenic	Menthol, menthone, menthyl acetate, β-pinene, α-pinene, sabinene acetate; L-Carvone, terpene, carveol, dihydrocarveol acetate, thujone isomenthone, eriocitrin, hesperidin, apigenin, luteolin, rutin, carotenes, tocopherols, caffeic, rosmarinic, chlorogenic acid	McKay & Blumberg, 200668 Singh et al, 201569 Mimica-Dukic & Bozin, 200870 Schuhmacher et al, 200371 Mahboubi & Kazempour, 201472 Yarnell et al, 200973 Keifer et al, 200874
Fenugreek	Trigonella foemum graecum	Fabaceae	Spice, Herb; fresh and dried seeds and leaves	Antiviral Antimicrobial Antitumor Antioxidant Anti-inflammatory Hypotensive Antidepressant	apigenin, kaempferol, quercetin, vitexin, tricin, naringenin, Sesquiterpenes, aromatic aldehydes, terpenes, saponins	Wang et al, 2011128 Smith, 2003129 Yadav & Baquer, 2014130 Goyal et al, 2016131 Kenny et al, 2013132

Table 2.

Common Spices Used With Potential Impact for Immune Support

Common Name	Binomial Name	Family (Botanical)	Herb, Spice; Part of Plant Used	Impact(s) on Immunity, Health Benefit(s)	Bioactive Compound(s)	Research to Support: (Author / year)
Cinnamon, Ceylon, Cassia, Saigon	Cinnamomum verum, cassia, loureiroi	Lauraceae	Spice; derived from bark of plant	Antibacterial Antimicrobial Antioxidant Anti-inflammatory Antidiabetic Antifungal Antiviral	Hydroxycoumarins cinnamaldehyde, cinnamate, cinnamic acid, Eugenol, limonene, terpineol, catechins, proanthocyanidins, tannins, linalool, safrole, pinene, methyleugenol, benzaldehyde	Marissal-Arvy et al, 201475 Hamidpour et al, 201576 Rao & Gan, 201477 Gunawardena et al, 201478 Moshaverinia et al, 202079 Lee et al, 201180
Ginger	Zingiber officinale Roscoe	Zingiberaceae	Spice; rhizome fresh and dried spice	Anti-inflammatory Antimicrobial Antibacterial Antioxidant Antitumor Antiplatelet formation Antiviral Immunomodulatory	Gingerol, paradol, shogaols, zingerone, hydoxyphenylpropenes, vallinoids, geraniol, geranial, borneol, linalool, camphene, zingerol, zingiberon	Koch et al, 200881 Shukla & Singh, 200782 Prasad & Tyagi, 201583 Chrubasik et al, 200584 Ramadan et al, 201185 Lantz et al, 200786
Cloves	Syzygium aromaticum	Myrtaceae	Spice; flower bud	Antibacterial Antimicrobial Antioxidant Anti-inflammatory Analgesic Antifungal Anticancer	Eugenol, dehydroeugenol sesquiterpenes, caryophyllene, tannins, isoeugenol acetyleugenol pinene, vanillin, gallic acid, flavonoids, phenolic acids	Cai & Wu, 199687 Aman et al, 202088 Cortés-Rojas et al, 201489 Aboubakr et al, 201690 Khalil et al, 201791 Mittal et al, 201492 Kamatou et al, 201293 Rodrigues et al, 200994 Lee et al, 200795 Pramod et al, 201096 Benencia & Courrèges, 200097 Batiha et al, 202098
Turmeric	Curcuma longa L.	Zingiberaceae	Spice; rhizome fresh and dried spice	Anti-inflammatory Antimicrobial Antibacterial, antioxidant Antitumor	Curcuminoids, demethoxycurcumin, bisdemethoxycurcumin, tetrahydrocurcumin, eugenol, carotene, ascorbic acid, caffeic, p-coumaric, protocatechuic, syringic, vanillic acid	Chattopadhyay et al, 200456 Ramadan et al, 201199 Chearwae et al, 2006100 Rajkumari & Sanatombi, 2017101 Chandrasekaran et al, 2013102 Abdel-Lateef et al, 2016103 Liu & Nair, 2012104 Khajehdehi, 2012105 Mounce et al, 2017106 Zorofchian Moghadamtousi et al, 2014107
Cumin, black cumin, black seed	Cuminum cyminum L. Nigella sativa L.	Apiaceae	Spice; seeds	Antimicrobial Antioxidant Anticancer Antitumor Antifungal Antibacterial Anti-inflammatory	Coumarins, cumin aldehyde, cuminal, β-pinene, γ-terpinene, safranal, quercetin, p-coumaric, rosmarinic, trans-2-dihydrocinnamic acids flavanoids	Randhawa & Alghamdi, 2011133 Hassanien et al, 2015134 Singh et al, 2014135 Bourgou et al, 2010136
Chili pepper, paprika	Capsicum annuum, Capsicum frutescens	Solanaceae	Spice; seed and fruit	Antimicrobial Chemo-preventative Analgesic Antioxidant Anticancer Antifungal Antiviral	Capsaicin, tocopherol, lutein, carotene, capsanthin, quercetin, ascorbic acid, rutin	Sun et al, 2007137 Khan et al, 2014138 Bourne et al, 1999139 Spiller et al, 2008140 Beltran et al, 2007141 Takano et al, 2007142 Parvez, 2007143
Black pepper	Piper nigrum L	Piperaceae	Spice; Dried fruit berries	Antioxidant Anti-inflammatory Anticancer Antimicrobial Antibacterial Antipyretic Analgesic Enhanced bioavailability of other nutrients	β-pinene, piperine, oleoresins, piperolein, β-caryophyllene, limonene, lignans, alkaloids, flavonoids, myristic acid, myristicin, citral, palmitic acid, piperine, terpinen-4-ol and ubiquinone, lauric acid	Meghwal & Goswami, 2012144 Meghwal & Goswami, 2013145 Ahmad et al, 2012146 Kapoor et al, 2009147 Srinivasan, 2007148
Garlic	Allium sativum	Amaryllida-ceae	Fresh and Dried; fruit, bulb	Antibacterial Antifungal Antiviral Antimicrobial Antitumor Antihypertensive Cardioprotective Antidiabetic Anticancer Anti-Obesity Immunomodulatory	D-Linalool, Methyl chavicol, eugenol cineole, Allyl sulfides, allicin, ajoene, S-allyl-L-cysteine (SAC)	Borek, 2001149 Butt et al, 2009150 Bayan et al, 2013151 Ryu & Kang, 2017152 Sultana et al, 2016153 Bjarnsholt et al, 2005154
Onion	Allium cepa	Amaryllida-ceae	Fresh and Dried; fruit, bulb	Antibacterial Antifungal Antiviral Antimicrobial	Quercetin, kaempferol, myricetin, and catechin, apigenin, dipyridyl disulfide, rutin, quercetin-4-glucoside	Santas et al, 2010155 Shim et al, 2011156
Various teas	Camellia sinensis	Theaceae	Fresh and Dried; leaves, stems, shoots, flowers	Antioxidative (Various) Reduced cholesterol Anti-inflammatory Antiviral Antibacterial Antifungal	Quercetin, kaempferol, catechin, gallocatechin, epicatechin, epigallocatechin gallate theaflavins, myricetin	Dreosti, 1996157 Xu et al, 2017158 Furushima et al, 2018159 Joubert & Ferreira, 1996160 Ravikumar, 2014161 Senanayake, 2013162 Ide et al, 2016163 Khan & Mukhtar, 2018164

Additional citations to note that provide comprehensive reports on multiple herbs/spies include:

• Peter, 2012¹⁶⁵

• Kaefer & Milner, 2008¹⁶⁶

• Shahidi and Ambigaipalan, 2015¹⁶⁷

• Kaefer & Milner, 2011¹⁶⁸

• Yashin et al, 2017¹⁶⁹

• Shan, et al, 2005¹⁷⁰

• Lampe, 2003¹⁷¹

• Jassim & Naji, 2003¹⁷²

Discussion

Guidance for the relationship between nutrition and health can act as primary prevention and help reduce some of the more significant risk factors for viral infections, such as COVID-19. Those at increased risk of infection include the elderly and those with underlying comorbidities^10,12 related to diet and lifestyle. With the goal of improving human defenses against viral susceptibility and promoting overall healthy living, reducing obesity and diabetes,^61-175 and supporting the immune system, the current review examined a series of herbs and spices that healthcare professionals can advise and inspire individuals to include in their regular eating patterns.

Supporting the role of nutrition in disease prevention, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), WHO, and the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics have further published information on ways to promote optimal immune function and overall good health by following nutritional recommendations, staying active, having fun in the kitchen, and prioritizing mental health.^1,2,175

For consumers to benefit from the opportunity to incorporate integrative and inclusive support for diet and lifestyle recommendations, the role of education and expertise in the jobs of healthcare professionals is key. Interest is growing in understanding intricate and accurate nutritional-health aspects regarding which herbs and spices can offer benefits to immunity, and the knowledge is important for all medical and allied health care professionals, such as registered nurses, primary care physicians, psychologists, osteopaths, mental health counselors, registered dietitian nutritionists, and social workers. The effort of working collaboratively through complementary care models to provide comprehensive care for individuals and families is crucial, especially during the pandemic.¹⁷⁶

Integrative healthcare prioritizes the use of a patient-centered approach in which the whole person is treated comprehensively by a well-coordinated care team. A central part of patient-centered care is listening to the patient’s perspective and amplifying his or her voice versus prescribing care in an authoritative manner.¹⁷⁶

In recent years, the focus has increasingly been on complementary, alternative, and integrative medicine approaches. During the current pandemic, the public is continuously seeking information related to prevention and treatment from all sources. It’s then advantageous for healthcare professionals to communicate effectively and share knowledge and understanding related to the use of herbs and spices to support immunity, regardless of whether the scope of their practice falls more within the conventional versus complementary and alternative spectrums.

If healthcare professionals are able to share the many health benefits of herbs and spices and the methods by which they can be routinely incorporated, clients and patients can feel encouraged and empowered in their understanding of which herbs and spices they can include in their diets and why.

Tables 1 and 2 can be used as a resource for nutrition and healthcare professionals at large, who can familiarize themselves with many of the common herbs and spices and can instruct individuals on divergence from typical eating patterns, with opportunities to highlight regular intake to promote good health and boost immunity. A wide variety of advances in food and nutrition insight are readily available in collaborative and complementary, health promotional practice as well as inclusive communication strategies for professionals. All of these suggestions may help strengthen confidence and competence for individuals interested in improving their health through food and nutrition. From regular consumption to specific medical applications, herbs and spices deserve a place on the plates of all eaters.

As the future of nutrition science continues to evolve with rapidly advancing technology and research, the current research team expects further incorporation of beneficial herbs and spices to be included in general nutrition guidance. It’s anticipated that future research will focus on identification of genetic expressions known to provide greater defense or greater risk for viral infections.³⁸

The future will also likely see more interest in investigations for natural-medicine modalities and opportunities to discover even more bioactive compounds and plant properties that are important for promoting optimal health and longevity.^49,172 Similarly, the future will see a high desire on the part of the public and of particular population groups to alter their eating patterns across their lifespans, toward improvement of potential health defenses and disease prevention post-COVID-19, in expectation of future infectious diseases.

Observational data and epidemiological trends will demonstrate just how important healthy eating patterns are for human health and well-being. The particular expertise of a complementary healthcare team is warranted during this extraordinary time in history.

It’s clear that the role of food and nutrition in reducing the risk of infection and promoting health and recovery shouldn’t be overlooked. The power to prevent infection and promote optimal immune function is available. Additionally, providing accessible, supplementary guidance may help to lessen fears and panic and improve overall mental and emotional health while providing physical-health benefits.

Consequently, future guidance may include regular and routine use of particular food ingredients, such as distinctive herbs and spices, known to promote their excellent prophylactic effects.^38-40,172 Nutritional guidance for optimal immune function can help improve global prevention of infection as well as act to help treat and reverse a wide range of common comorbidities that tend to make individuals more susceptible to infectious disease.

This review has several limitations that should be considered, such as the absence of substantial previous research on the topics of nutritional science that focused on herbs and spices with special attention to immune function. Likewise, little is known about the specific novel coronavirus, COVID-19, at this time, although health professionals continue to understand more each day. Therefore, this review can’t speak to specificity of prevention or treatment for SARS-CoV-2, but it does substantiate the need for investigations.

In addition to using herbs and spices to boost immunity and prevent disease, emerging research from around the globe highlights many natural compounds found in herbs and spices as potential therapeutic options to complement medical treatment for the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 as they have been explored for their effects on mitigating COVID-19^177-181 and similar coronaviruses.^182-186

Another limitation of the study is the general lack of funding for natural and complementary medicine modalities, such as the potential reason for the lack of inclusion of herbs and spices in generic, public health nutritional guidance. Lastly, due to the sheer number of botanical plants with theorized or validated, previously investigated or yet to be discovered benefits, the authors couldn’t include a high volume of the different herbs and spices known in different regions and cultures around the world. Thus, it would be wise to work with local experts in nutritional science, botanical medicine, and functional foods to learn more about the health benefits of specific herbs and spices beyond the context of this review. Collaborative communication to the public can provide encouragement and confidence to consumers for simple strategies to support optimal health and immunity.

Conclusions

With respect to herbs and spices, the current review’s findings can help to inform and support future recommendations for a standard within the professions of health to provide an improved, healthier, and well-educated dietary guidance for individuals. More studies are needed on the consumption of herbs and spices in human trials to elicit evidence beyond preclinical and animal studies.

Biographies

Jonathan Isbill, MS, RDN, Nutrition and Dietetics Registered Dietitian Nutritionist, Columbus, IN, USA.

Jayanthi Kandiah, PhD, RDN, CD, Associate Dean, College of Health; Interim Chair, Department of Nutrition and Health Science; and Professor of Nutrition and Dietetics, Department of Nutrition and Health Science, Ball State University, Muncie, IN, USA.

Natalie Kružliaková, PhD, RDN, LD, Assistant Professor of Nutrition and Dietetics, Department of Nutrition and Health Science, Ball State University, Muncie, IN, USA.