How much antioxidants are in my herbs and mushrooms and how do you measure it?
We were curious to find out more about that, especially since we at Örtfabriken are interested in herbs, mushrooms and how we can add more nutrition to our everyday lives. Is it true that herbs and mushrooms have a particularly high ORAC value? Read here what we found out.
Herbs and mushrooms according to the ORAC list
ORAC stands for Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity and is a measure for measuring the amount of antioxidants per 100 grams of food. According to the Swedish National Food Agency, the group of substances called antioxidants have in common that they prevent the formation and damage from reactive substances, so-called free radicals. So if we want to boost ourselves, we should add foods that are high in antioxidants. The Swedish National Food Agency also writes that dietary supplements with added antioxidants can be harmful. Better to take antioxidants in natural form, with the diet.
Intuitively, it felt like herbs and spices have a high antioxidant content. We have also heard as a mantra that Chaga (sprangtickka) has a sky-high ORAC value. Many thousands of times higher than blueberries. When we double-check this in the ORAC table, it is true. Herbs and spices have a high value! Some herbs and spices stand out. For example, ground cloves. With this knowledge, it is easy to add some clove powder to a cup of Chai.
Other herbs that are high on the list are the Mediterranean's fine rosemary, oregano and thyme. But it should be dried herbs. I think it is thanks to the herbs that the Mediterranean diet is so healthy.
Here is a selection of herbs and mushrooms and their value on the ORAC list (/100 grams):
Ground Cloves: 290 283
Dried oregano: 175,295
Dried rosemary: 165,280
Thyme: 157,380
Ground turmeric: 159,277
Chaga (Explosive Tick): 146,700
Reishi (Lacquer tick): 9,244
Blueberries: 4,500
Here is a longer excerpt from the ORAC table, mainly to be able to compare and understand what Chagan's high value means in relation to other foods.
| SPICE | ORAC per 100 grams | ORAC per 1 tsp (4 grams) | ORAC/ 1 TBsp | # tsp per 100 grams |
| Cloves, ground |
290,283 |
11,611 |
34,833 |
45.45 |
| Oregano, dried |
175,295 |
7,011 |
21,035 |
66.66 |
| Rosemary, dried |
165,280 |
6,611 |
19,833 |
90.91 |
| Thyme, dried |
157,380 |
6,295 |
18,886 |
69.44 |
| Cinnamon, ground |
131,420 |
5,257 |
15,771 |
44.25 |
| Turmeric, ground |
127,068 |
5,083 |
15,248 |
44.25 |
| Vanilla beans, dried |
122,400 |
4,896 |
14,688 |
23.08 |
| Sage, ground |
119,929 |
4,797 |
14,391 |
142.86 |
| Szechuan pepper, dried |
118,400 |
4,736 |
14,208 |
33.33 |
| Parsley, dried |
73,670 |
2,947 |
8,841 |
80 |
| Nutmeg, ground |
69, 640 |
2,786 |
8,357 |
42.86 |
| Basil, dried |
61, 063 |
2,443 |
7,329 |
66.66 |
| Cocoa, dry powder unsweetened |
55, 653 |
2,226 |
6,678 |
55.81 |
| Cumin seeds |
50, 372 |
2,015 |
6,045 |
50 |
| Baking chocolate, unsweetened squares |
49,944 |
1,998 |
5,994 |
36.36 |
| Ginger, ground |
39,041 |
1,561 |
4,683 |
57.83 |
| Pepper, black |
34,053 |
1,362 |
4,086 |
46.73 |
| Sage, fresh |
32,004 |
1,280 |
3,840 |
150 |
| Mustard seed ground, yellow |
29, 257 |
1,170 |
3,511 |
36 |
| Thyme, fresh |
27, 426 |
1,097 |
3,291 |
126.32 |
| Marjoram |
27, 297 |
1,091 |
3,273 |
177.78 |
| Rice bran, raw |
24, 287 |
971 |
2,913 |
40.68 |
| Chili powder |
23, 636 |
945 |
2,835 |
37.5 |
| Pepper |
21,932 |
877 |
2,632 |
44.04 |
| Pepper, red or cayenne |
19,671 |
787 |
2,361 |
56.82 |
| Raspberries, black |
19, 220 |
769 |
2,307 |
39.02 |
| Nuts, pecans |
17,940 |
718 |
2,154 |
40 |
| Tarragon, fresh |
15,542 |
622 |
1,866 |
165.52 |
| Ginger root, raw |
14,840 |
594 |
1,782 |
21.16 |
| Peppermint, fresh |
13,978 |
559 |
1,677 |
375 |
| Oregano, fresh |
13,970 |
558 |
1,674 |
66.66 |
| Nuts, walnuts English |
13,541 |
542 |
1,626 |
48 |
| Raisins, golden seedless |
10,450 |
418 |
1,254 |
33.1 |
| Prunes, dried |
8,059 |
322 |
966 |
28.24 |
| Garlic powder |
6,665 |
267 |
801 |
30.97 |
| Lemon balm, leaves raw |
5,997 |
240 |
720 |
50 |
| Coriander (cilantro) leaves raw |
5, 141 |
206 |
618 |
60.24 |
| Basil, fresh |
4,805 |
192 |
576 |
114.29 |
| Blueberries, raw |
4,669 |
187 |
561 |
33.1 |
| Nuts, almonds |
4,454 |
178 |
534 |
34.78 |
| Dill weed, fresh |
4,392 |
176 |
528 |
100 |
| Beans, black, boiled (raw 8,494) |
2,249 |
90 |
270 |
27.91 |
| Avocados, Hass, raw |
1,922 |
77 |
231 |
32.88 |
| Potatoes, red, flesh and skin, baked |
1,326 |
53 |
159 |
39.34 |
| Parsley, raw 1 sprig=1 gram |
1,301 |
52 |
156 |
78.69 |
| Tea, green, brewed |
1,253 |
50 |
150 |
75 |
| Zucchini or summer squash |
180 |
7 |
21 |
26.67 |
