SLC S21 Week 3 - Herbal Medicine in the Kitchen. By @rossnenye

Hello everyone, I'm so glad to participate in this contest. I must say that I really learnt a lot from this class. Herbs are medicinal plant known to be natural remedies for ailments.

Recipe Creation: Create a meal or recipe using at least 3 herbs which are commonly found in your area and explain the health benefits of each herb in the recipe.

The recipe I created is a Zobo drink, prepared with the Combination of three herbs which are Zobo flower, Ginger and Clove.

Steps I used in making it

• Pick the Zobo flower to remove the bad ones.

• Wash it and add it to the pot

• Wash and put the Clove into the pot.

• Add enough water to the pot and boil for about 30miniutes.

• Peel the ginger, wash and blend it.

• Add water to it and sieve out the juice.

• After boiling the mixture, sieve it and allow it to cool.

• When it's cools, add the Ginger juice to it and mix it together.

• Your Zobo nutritious drink is ready.

Health benefits of Zobo (Hibiscus Sabdariffa plant)

• Lowers blood pressure

It helps to reduce the level of blood pressure.

• Immune booster

It contains Vitamin C which boosts the immune system.

• Mineral

It also contains Potassium, Calcium and Iron which is ideal for a healthy bone.

• Healthy Liver

It contains antioxidants which helps to protect the Liver from harmful radicals.

Health benefits of Ginger

Anti-inflammatory

It consists of Compound like Gingerol which is responsible for relieving pains in the Muscle.

• Antioxidant

It contains antioxidants which helps to prevent the body from the effects of harmful radicals and also helps to reduce the risk of Chronic ailments.

• Anti-Cancerous

It contains Compounds like Gingerols, Shogaols, Volatile oils and Paradols which helps to prevent Cancer.

Health benefits of Clove (Syzygium aromaticum)

• Hair health

According to research, it helps to grow long healthy hair.

• Oral health

It helps to reduce toothache and mouth pain.

• Skincare

It removes acnes from the face and also gives the skin a glowing look.

• Aromatherapy

It contains essential oil which aids in relaxation.

Research Seasoning Health Benefits: Pick any two seasonings and research their health benefits. Write a short paragraph on each, covering how they can benefit your health when included in meals.

• Thyme

Thyme is a medicinal plant with the botanical name Thyme vulgaris. It's native to the Mediterranean region. It's known for its unique aroma and because of this, it's used as a seasoning and spice in cooking. It's also a herb which serves so many health purposes.
It contains Compounds like Phenolic acid, Terpeniods, Flavonoids and Volatile oil.

Health benefits of cooking with Thyme

• Antioxidant

Just like Ginger, it contains compounds which helps to protect the body cells from damage.

• Respiratory health

It's widely used to relieve respiratory sickness, it's expectorant properties helps to soothe ailment like Cough, Sore throat and Bronchitis.

• Oral health

It helps to prevent bad breath, toothache and gum inflammation.

• Skin health

It helps to fasten the healing of wounds, promotes healthy hair growth and also helps to reduce ailments like dermatitis and Psoriasis.

• Ginger

Ginger with the botanical name Zingiber officinale is a Perennial plant native to Southeast Asia. It's a natural spice which have so many health benefits.

Health benefits of cooking with Ginger

• Nausea relief

It is generally known and recommended for relieving Nausea and for this reason it's usually recommended for pregnant women and Patients who undergo Surgery to reduce Vomiting.

• Aids in digestion

It also assists digestion thereby reducing bloating that comes with indigestion.

• Pain relief

It's also a great antidote for pain, therefore it's recommended for Menstrual cramps, back pain, Abdominal pain, Headache e.t.c.

Herb Identification Challenge: Identify five herbs at a local grocery store or farmer's market, taking photos and writing down their uses, along with how they could be incorporated into cooking.

Curry Leaf

One of the herb I bought from the market is Curry leaf with the Botanical name Murraya koenigii. Native from India and used in cooking because of its aromatic Property.

Uses

• Serves as an antioxidants

It contains Vitamin A and C which helps to neutralize harmful radicals in the body.

• Aids in digestion

It contains digestive enzymes which helps in digestion.

• Manages Diabetes

It's anti-hypeglycemic properties makes it ideal for diabetic patients.

• Ideal for weight loss

It helps in body metabolism, thereby aiding in weight loss.

• Immunity

It helps the body defense to be active and agile in fighting infections.

Scent leaf

Scent Leaf, popularly known as African basil. It's a herb renowned for its distinct aroma in food and also it's health benefits.

Uses

• Spices

It's usually dried and ground into a powder which is used as a Spice in cooking.

• Garnishing

It is also used to cook and garnish meals.

• Mosquito repellent

The dried leaf serves as natural Mosquito repellent.

• Skincare

It's serves as a great cure for some skin diseases like acne and eczema.

In my Country Nigeria, we use Scent leaf for cooking different foods like Porridge plantains, Banga soup and Vegetable soup.

Onions

With the botanical name Allium cepa in a well known herb use in cooking and serves medicinal purpose.

Uses

• Flavouring

It an Unique Ingredients used for cooking so many dishes. It gives dishes a distinct taste and aroma.

• Garnishing

It is used for dressing meals like vegetable Salad.

• Heart health

Regular consumption of Onions helps to reduce the risk of heart disease.

• Anti-poison

It's given to people bitten by Scorpion or Snake to prevent the spread of the poison.

It's a major ingredients, used to cook dishes like fried rice, stew, soup, Jollof rice and Coconut rice.

Bitterleaf

Bitterleaf with the Botanical name Vernonia amygdalina is a leafy green vegetable native to Africa. It's known for its distinct bitter taste. It serves medicinal purpose and also used in cooking.

Uses

• Cooking

In my Country Nigeria, it's used for cooking Bitterleaf soup, Egusi and Okro soup.

• Antimalaria

It's juice is known as a great cure for Malaria.

• Detoxifying

The Juice gotten from the Leaf has great detoxifying effect in the body when drank.

• Weightloss

It's contains high quantity of Fiber which helps in weight loss.

Thyme

Uses

• Antimicrobial features

It contains Compounds like Thymol and Carvacrol which helps to reduce the rate of Fungal and bacterial infections.

• Digestive health

It helps to stimulate the production of digestive enzymes, which aids in digestion and thereby prevents bloating.

• Healthy heart

It helps to lower the body blood pressure and Cholesterol level, idea for a healthy heart.

Prepare a herbal detox medicine and tell step by step process and how it helps to detoxify the body?

• Ginger Detox Water

Ingredients

• 2cups water
• 4 pieces of Ginger

Procedure

• Peel, wash and blend the Ginger.

After peeling the Ginger

Blending the Ginger

• Pour in half cup of water and stir.

• Sieve out the Juice from the Shaft.

Your Ginger drink is ready.

How it detoxify the body

• Removes toxin

It helps to remove toxin from the body through Urine.

• Aids in digestion

It helps to cleanse the body, helps in digestion and reduces bloating.

• Electrolytes

It contains electrolytes like potassium which helps to maintain fluid balance in the body.

Thanks for reading my post, I invite @basil20, @vudeme and @chilaw to participate in this contest.