Using herbs and spices in your diet and in remedies to alleviate ailments, will help you to eat and live a more healthy life. Herbs and spices are fragrant and delicious additions to your foods, and also can help you to sooth your physical maladies. Use these wonderful plants in your dishes for both extra nutrients, and pretty garnishes! Here are some of the most popular.

Parsley has been known for more that 2,000 years and was best known as a medicinal herb. It originated in the Eastern Mediterranean region, and was used by the Ancient Greeks for kidney and bladder ailments. We still use parsley as a diuretic. It also helps with stomach and liver problems. For women, it can ease the bloating that some experience before their menstrual cycle.

But parsley is also a good source of many vitamins and minerals especially iron. It is mostly used as a garnish for dishes, especially in restaurants. Don't throw it away! Eat it! The sprigs as we've explained are very good for you. It's best not to cook parsley because the heat destroys many of its valuable nutrients. If you want to use it in soups and stews, just chop it up and add it at the last minute.

Oregano is a sweetly scented spice and was valued by the Ancient Egyptians. They used it as an antidote to poison and also as a preservative. But oregano is most popular for its spicy, minty flavor. Used in the kitchen, it is sprinkled on pizza, and stirred in spaghetti sauces and soups. Oregano is also delicious in egg and cheese dishes.

One of the most flavorful types of oregano is Mexican Oregano. You can store the fresh leaves in the refrigerator in a zip-lock bag. If you want to dry oregano, tie the stems together and then hang in a dark, well-ventilated place. After they're dried, store the leaves in an airtight container.

Cayenne or red pepper is a member of the pepper family, which includes the familiar bell pepper and the hot and green chilies. Mexico alone grows over 150 varieties of chilies, and the cayenne pepper is one of the hottest. We use it mostly in our recipes calling for a hot, spicy flavor, especially in Mexican dishes.

But did you know that peppers were once only used as ornamental plants and not eaten? They were also used in medicinal purposes externally to stimulate the circulation in the skin. The symptoms of rheumatism could also be soothed using the red pepper.

Today we use this pepper typically as pepper spice or pepper flakes to zip up the flavor in our foods. Also these peppers are used whole in many Tex-Mex and New Mexican cuisines. The hottest part of the pepper is the seeds and white ribs. If you want your food milder, but still have that pepper flavor, scrape out the seeds and white ribs. If you want it real hot, leave them in!

Chives are a member of the onion family and they grow from small bulbs. In the Middle Ages chives were once thought to drive away evil spirits! The stems and even the chive flowers (you can eat them!), are high in vitamin C, folic acid, and potassium. Chives are a great addition to recipes as they help restore the nutrients that may be lost in cooking.

When you use chives in your dishes, try not to heat them, as they will lose their vitamins and minerals. Sprinkle them instead on any dish that you would like a nutrient boost. And a sprinkling of chives also makes a pretty presentation!

We hope that these little tips and hints will encourage you to use these wonderful, healthy herbs and spices every day in your cooking!