According to experts, these anti-inflammatory herbs and spices may help you find pain relief.

The holidays should be a time of joy – the sights, the smells and the many tastes.  But pain can stop you from fully enjoying all the season has to offer.  According to experts, these anti-inflammatory herbs and spices may help you find pain relief.  So, as you go about your holiday shopping and cooking, be sure to add these to your list!

1. Sage – Perfect in poultry dishes and stuffing, this anti-inflammatory herb has been used for centuries and contains flavonoids that help to reduce swelling.
2. Ginger – Ginger’s been used for thousands of years to help with a variety of ailments from stomach aches to heart conditions. This anti-inflammatory add-in is excellent in a variety of foods from holiday cookies to ginger tea.
3. Cayenne – Cayenne is thought to act as an anti-inflammatory and antioxidant. Capsaicin, the oily compound in cayenne and its peppery cousins, is the active ingredient in many prescription and over-the-counter creams, ointments, and patches for arthritis and muscle pain. Use it in your next big batch of chili.
4. Cinnamon – Like many other spices, cinnamon has antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties, and it’s actually one of the most powerful healing spices, shown to help reduce heartburn and other painful conditions. Cinnamon is the perfect holiday spice.
5. Cloves – Cloves contain an anti-inflammatory chemical called eugenol. In recent studies, this chemical inhibited COX-2, a protein that spurs inflammation (the same protein that so-called COX-2 inhibitor drugs such as Celebrex quash). Cloves also ranked very high in antioxidant properties in one study. The combination of anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties provides health benefits, from boosting protection from heart disease to helping stave off cancer, as well as slowing the cartilage and bone damage caused by arthritis.
6. Turmeric – Studies have linked turmeric to reduced inflammation in a number of conditions, including psoriasis. The chemical responsible for turmeric’s golden color, called curcumin also helps reduce inflammation.