Can Herbs and Spices Really Protect You from Pollution?

It might not be the first method of protection against pollution that springs to mind, but concerned citizens in India are taking to their spice rack to defend themselves. In a country which boasts nine of the top 10 and 15 of the top 20 most polluted cities in the world, the populace must take every measure they can to expel harmful contaminants from their body.

An Indian air quality crisis

It’s not for nothing that India endures a torrid reputation when it comes to air quality. The country recently supplanted China as the nation with the most polluted cities in the world and a 2016 assessment of nitrogen oxides (NOx) pollution over New Delhi revealed that the situation has only been getting worse over the past few years.

However, mainstream awareness of the problem has been improving. Greater media coverage and a more vocal environmental presence has led to a growing market for continuous emissions monitoring systems (CEMS) in the country and a monitoring conference held earlier this year enjoyed an impressive turnout and significant success.

This has resulted in considerable pressure being placed on the government to tackle the issue, who have made tentative steps to do so. Passenger vehicles have been banned from Delhi city centre and industrial activity closed down on the worst days, while the government has also announced an ambitious plan to transition to entirely electric vehicles (EVs) by 2030.

Spice rack to the rescue

While the majority of concerned parties have called on change to be enacted from the top down, some Indians are taking proactive measures to safeguard themselves. According to the Ndtv food desk, these five herbs and spices could make all the difference in fortifying your body against the worst effects of exposure to air pollution:

• Ghee. It’s thought that consuming two to three teaspoons of ghee, perhaps dissolved in water, can help to prevent toxic metals like mercury or lead from persisting in the body, especially in vital organs like the liver and kidneys or in your bones.
• Neem. Consuming neem tea or chewing on raw neem leaves is thought to be able to flush toxins from the body and alleviate the most serious effects of air pollution.
• Pippali. Mixing pippali powder with water (or honey if preferable) and consuming every day is believed to boost your immune system and strengthen lungs, allowing you to breathe more easily and regularly.
• Tulsi. Thought to be capable of absorbing pollutants directly from the air, it’s recommended to plant tulsi around the home. It can also be ingested as a juice to aid the expulsion of pollutants from your respiratory passages.
• Turmeric. Containing the active compound curcumin, turmeric is believed to be able to provide the antioxidants necessary to strengthen lungs and combat pollutants. For best results, turmeric can be taken alongside ghee.