When Disaster Strikes...Are YOU Ready?

Health benefits of Allspice

• The active principles in the allspice found to have anti-inflammatory, rubefacient (warming and soothing), carminative and anti-flatulent properties.

• Allspice contains many health benefiting essential oils such as eugenol, a phenylpropanoids class of chemical compound, which gives pleasant, sweet aromatic fragrances to this spice. It also contains caryophyllene, methyleugenol, glycosides, tannins, quercetin, resin and sesquiterpenes. These volatile oils obtained through distillation process using this spice corns. The outer coat of the berries is believed to have the greatest medicinal activity.

• As in black pepper corns, the active principles in the allspice may increase the motility of the gastro-intestinal tract as well as increase the digestion power by increasing gastro-intestinal secretions.

• Eugenol, has local anesthetic and antiseptic properties, hence; useful in gum and dental treatment procedures. Recent research studies have shown that preparation made from allspice oil mixed with extractions from garlic and oregano can work against E.coli, Salmonella and L.monocytogenes infections.

• The spice is enriched with good amount of minerals like potassium, manganese, iron, copper, selenium, and magnesium. Iron is an important co-factor for cytochrome- oxidase enzymes during cellular metabolism. It is also required for red blood cell production in the bone marrow. Being an important component of cell and body fluids, potassium helps control heart rate and blood pressure. Manganese is used by the body as a co-factor for the powerful antioxidant enzyme superoxide dismutase.

• The spice also contains very good amounts of vitamin-A, vitamin B-6 (pyridoxine), riboflavin, niacin and vitamin-C. Vitamin C is a powerful natural antioxidant; regular consumption of foods rich in vitamin C helps body develop resistance against infectious agents and scavenge harmful, pro-inflammatory free radicals