(NaturalNews) The herb savory is a member of the mint family which is often used in East European cuisines because of its well appreciated peppery and tangy taste. Not only is it undeniably great to spice up various dishes, but some pharmaceutical companies happen to integrate some of its outstanding healing chemical compounds in some of the synthetic drugs they put on the market.

The savory leaves contain numerous volatile-oil phenols that all contribute to making it an exceptional antioxidant, but two of them do stand out a little from the others. Many scientists have concluded from past tests that thymol and carvacrol may well be its top two essential oils. Thymol was shown to have above-average antiseptic and antifungal properties, while carvacrol proved to effectively overcome tenacious bacterial strains such as E. coli and Bacillus cereus.

Every single time you consume 100 grams of this dry herb, you are able to get surprisingly more than the recommended daily intake for various vitamins and minerals. It can provide up to 120% of dietary fibers, 130% of pyridoxine or vitamin B6, 177% of vitamin A, 474% of iron, 210% of calcium and 265% of manganese. These figures are truly impressive, and we're only taking into account the vitamins or minerals that represent more than 100% of the official recommended daily intake. Many others are quite close to the 100% value.

Up to this day, savory has been used to treat several health conditions and ailments such as uterine contractions, coughing, colics, tuberculosis, gastric disorders, headaches and urine retention. Generally speaking, research has also shown that it may have the ability to protect DNA within the liver.

A study on hepatic oxidative stress shows savory's ability to protect DNA

A 2010 research study conducted in Portugal showed that savory may provide, to a certain extent, much needed protection against hepatic oxidative stress. This study used rats as subjects and lasted for a period of four weeks. The scientists compared the effects generated by aqueous extracts of raspberry, agrimony, sage and savory. The end results were analyzed using specific biomarkers in regard to lipid, protein or DNA damage. Although savory ranked second overall, it's still important to note that it was they only one capable of preventing DNA damage from occurring.

Savory can help normalize the brain's GABA levels that assist it when coping with stress. Its high fiber content is responsible for its ability to reduce LDL levels while increasing HDL ones. Slightly warm and distilled savory water can be employed to help relieve sore throats by gargling momentarily.

The savory herb basically promotes healthy living, and it's safe to take since it will not produce undesirable side effects when taken in reasonable proportions, unlike many unnatural products sold in stores.

Sources for this article include:

http://www.naturalnews.com

http://lifestyle.iloveindia.com

http://www.nutrition-and-you.com

http://science.naturalnews.com

About the author:
After spending several years working in property management, P. Simard is now focusing on being a naturopath in Quebec.