Nature's Pantry
Kitchen wisdom, checked.
Grandmothers everywhere have a food for every worry. Here is what each tradition says, what studies have actually found, how strong that evidence is, and what to watch out for.
Browse the foods
32 foods
Ajwain (carom seeds)
carom · omam (Tamil) · Trachyspermum ammi
Evidence level: Traditional use onlyA thyme-like seed used for heavy breads and fried snacks. Its digestive reputation is traditional.
Digestive comfortFlavour without extra salt
19 recipes use it
Amla (Indian gooseberry)
nellikai (Tamil) · Phyllanthus emblica · Emblica officinalis
Evidence level: Limited or early evidenceA sour, astringent fruit central to Ayurveda. Small trials of amla extracts on cholesterol look promising.
Everyday nutrition
1 recipes use it
Apple cider vinegar
ACV · cider vinegar
Evidence level: Limited or early evidenceA social-media favourite. A handful of small trials show modest blood sugar and cholesterol changes.
Flavour without extra salt
24 recipes use it
Barley
jau (Hindi) · pearl barley · Hordeum vulgare
Evidence level: Strong evidenceLike oats, whole-grain barley provides beta-glucan fibre that is recognised for cholesterol.
Heart-healthy eating patternsFibre and regularityEveryday nutrition
6 recipes use it
Beans, lentils and chickpeas
pulses · dal · legumes
Evidence level: Moderate evidenceEveryday protein and fibre. Pulse-rich diets lowered LDL cholesterol a little in short trials.
Fibre and regularityHeart-healthy eating patternsEveryday nutrition
214 recipes use it
Beetroot
chukandar (Hindi) · beets · Beta vulgaris
Evidence level: Moderate evidenceNitrate-rich beetroot juice lowered blood pressure in short trials.
Heart-healthy eating patternsEveryday nutrition
12 recipes use it
Black pepper
kali mirch (Hindi) · Piper nigrum
Evidence level: Limited or early evidenceThe world's most traded spice. Its piperine boosts absorption of curcumin, which cuts both ways.
Flavour without extra salt
630 recipes use it
Chamomile
German chamomile (Matricaria chamomilla) · manzanilla (Spanish)
Evidence level: Limited or early evidenceA classic bedtime tea. Likely safe in food amounts, but research is not strong enough to say how well it works.
Soothing drinks
1 recipes use it
Chilli
mirch (Hindi) · chile · Capsicum
Evidence level: Limited or early evidenceBig studies link eating chilli with longer life, but they are observational and cannot show cause.
Flavour without extra salt
609 recipes use it
Cinnamon
dalchini (Hindi) · canela (Spanish) · Ceylon cinnamon (Cinnamomum verum)
Evidence level: Limited or early evidenceWidely studied for blood sugar, but research does not clearly support it for any health use. Know your cassia from your Ceylon.
Flavour without extra saltSoothing drinks
223 recipes use it
Citrus fruit
lemon · orange · nimbu (Hindi)
Evidence level: Evidence againstGreat for flavour and vitamin C, but vitamin C does not stop most people catching colds.
Everyday nutritionSoothing drinks
368 recipes use it
Cocoa and dark chocolate
cacao · Theobroma cacao
Evidence level: Strong evidenceHigh-flavanol cocoa has an EU-accepted claim for blood flow. Most chocolate is an indulgence, not a health food.
Heart-healthy eating patterns
43 recipes use it
Coffee
kaapi (South India) · café · qahwa (Arabic)
Evidence level: Moderate evidenceModerate coffee drinking is linked with more benefit than harm in large studies, outside pregnancy.
Caffeine and alertness
53 recipes use it
Cumin
jeera (Hindi) · comino (Spanish) · Cuminum cyminum
Evidence level: Limited or early evidenceAn earthy everyday spice. Small trials of cumin supplements show modest effects, with mixed quality.
Flavour without extra saltDigestive comfort
378 recipes use it
Fennel seed
saunf (Hindi) · Foeniculum vulgare
Evidence level: Traditional use onlyThe after-dinner seed of Indian restaurants. Its digestive use is recognised as traditional, not proven.
Digestive comfortSoothing drinksFlavour without extra salt
49 recipes use it
Fenugreek
methi (Hindi) · kasuri methi (dried leaves) · Trigonella foenum-graecum
Evidence level: Limited or early evidenceA bittersweet seed and herb. Studied for blood sugar and breast milk supply, with weak or mixed results.
Flavour without extra saltEveryday nutrition
69 recipes use it
Fermented vegetables and soy
kimchi · sauerkraut · miso
Evidence level: Limited or early evidenceA small but well-run trial found a fermented-food diet increased gut microbe diversity. Early days.
Fermented and gut-friendlyEveryday nutrition
25 recipes use it
Flaxseed (linseed)
alsi (Hindi) · linseed · Linum usitatissimum
Evidence level: Limited or early evidenceA fibre-rich seed with plant omega-3. Research is mixed and mostly on oils and extracts.
Fibre and regularityEveryday nutrition
4 recipes use it
Garlic
lehsun (Hindi) · ajo (Spanish) · Allium sativum
Evidence level: Limited or early evidenceA kitchen essential. Garlic supplements may nudge cholesterol down a little; the evidence for colds is thin.
Heart-healthy eating patternsFlavour without extra salt
880 recipes use it
Ginger
adrak (Hindi) · shēngjiāng (Mandarin) · Zingiber officinale
Evidence level: Moderate evidenceA warming root with the best-studied link to nausea in pregnancy of any kitchen spice.
Digestive comfortSoothing drinksFlavour without extra salt
391 recipes use it
Green tea
matcha (powdered) · sencha · lǜchá (Mandarin)
Evidence level: Limited or early evidenceSafe as a drink for adults; results for health benefits are inconsistent. Concentrated extracts are a different story.
Caffeine and alertnessSoothing drinks
8 recipes use it
Honey
shahad (Hindi) · miel (Spanish/French)
Evidence level: Moderate evidenceA soothing sweetener for coughs in children over one. Never give it to babies under 12 months.
Soothing drinks
52 recipes use it
Leafy greens
saag · spinach · kale
Evidence level: Strong evidenceVegetables count towards the WHO's 400 g a day. Greens are rich in vitamin K, which matters on warfarin.
Everyday nutritionHeart-healthy eating patterns
73 recipes use it
Nuts
walnuts · almonds · tree nuts
Evidence level: Moderate evidenceA handful a day is linked with lower heart disease risk in large observational studies.
Heart-healthy eating patternsEveryday nutrition
134 recipes use it
Oats
porridge oats · jai (Hindi) · Avena sativa
Evidence level: Strong evidenceOat beta-glucan lowering cholesterol is one of the best-established food findings there is.
Heart-healthy eating patternsFibre and regularityEveryday nutrition
16 recipes use it
Olive oil
extra virgin olive oil · zeytinyağı (Turkish)
Evidence level: Moderate evidenceThe fat of the Mediterranean diet. Its polyphenols carry an EU-accepted claim; the diet as a whole has moderate evidence.
Heart-healthy eating patternsEveryday nutrition
296 recipes use it
Peppermint
pudina (Hindi, for mint generally) · Mentha × piperita
Evidence level: Moderate evidencePeppermint oil capsules have reasonable evidence for IBS symptoms; mint tea is a tradition.
Digestive comfortSoothing drinks
130 recipes use it
Prunes
dried plums
Evidence level: Moderate evidenceThe traditional answer to constipation has an EFSA opinion behind it, at about 100 g a day.
Fibre and regularityDigestive comfort
6 recipes use it
Tomato
tamatar (Hindi) · Solanum lycopersicum
Evidence level: Limited or early evidenceA versatile vegetable. Claims about lycopene and prostate health are not supported by trials.
Everyday nutritionFlavour without extra salt
497 recipes use it
Tulsi (holy basil)
tulasi · Ocimum tenuiflorum (O. sanctum)
Evidence level: Limited or early evidenceA sacred plant in Hindu households. Small human trials of extracts look interesting but are short and limited.
Soothing drinks
Turmeric
haldi (Hindi) · manjal (Tamil) · kunyit (Malay)
Evidence level: Limited or early evidenceThe golden spice of South Asian cooking. Curcumin is heavily researched, but conclusions are still out.
Flavour without extra salt
254 recipes use it
Yoghurt and kefir
dahi / curd (India) · labneh (strained, Levant) · probiotics
Evidence level: Limited or early evidenceLive cultures in a bowl. Specific probiotic supplements have evidence; shop-bought yoghurt is less certain.
Fermented and gut-friendlyEveryday nutritionDigestive comfort
155 recipes use it
How we grade the evidence
Each food gets one overall grade for its best-known claim, and each claim on its page is graded separately. A grade describes the research, not how good the food is to eat.
- Evidence level: Strong evidence
Consistent results from good-quality trials or reviews, or a conclusion by a food-safety or health authority (for example an authorised EFSA claim or FDA health claim) about this food at normal food amounts.
- Evidence level: Moderate evidence
Several trials or reviews point the same way, but studies are short, small, mixed in quality, mostly observational, or test concentrated forms rather than everyday food.
- Evidence level: Limited or early evidence
A few small or low-quality studies, inconsistent results, or mostly lab and animal work. Interesting, but not enough to rely on.
- Evidence level: Traditional use only
Long-standing use in kitchens and home remedies, but little or no reliable research in people.
- Evidence level: Evidence against
Good-quality research has tested the popular claim and did not find the hoped-for effect.
Our rules
- Tradition is labelled as tradition. How a food is used in a culture is shown separately from what research says.
- No food is presented as medicine. We say what studies suggest, never that a food fixes a disease.
- Food amounts only. We describe amounts you would cook with, not supplement doses. Many studies used concentrated supplements, and we say so.
- Real sources only. 49 sources from 20 public health bodies, 1 WHO guidance, 11 food and medicine regulators, 14 systematic reviews, 3 peer-reviewed studies. If we could not verify a claim, we left it out.
- Safety first. Every entry lists interactions, pregnancy, allergy and child-safety notes where they apply.
Looking for flavour rather than wellness? Try the Spice Encyclopedia or the grocery encyclopedia.