My last post on Radishes: An Anti-fungal Powerhouse, explored one beneficial food in the battle against mold and exposure symptoms. Nature provides many similar fungus-fighting foods and herbs. One of these battling edibles is dill weed. Dill has been used as both a spice and medicine and is especially known for its antimicrobial and anti-fungal properties.
A Compelling Spice
Dill weed especially stood out to me as a mold-fighting food because of a study I found which explored the anti-fungal properties of dill oil extracts taken from seeds stored for 35 years. It was discovered that these extracts killed Aspergillus niger (aka black mold) and yeasts Saccharomyces and Candida albicans. The dill fought the mold and yeasts by disrupting the cell membranes and escalated oxidative damage. Talk about a powerful spice!
Growing Dill
As the same suggests (dill “weed”), dill easy to grow. It is a self-seeding annual that basically requires sowing 1/4 inch deep and 18 inches apart in rich soil and consistent watering. Once the plant has 4-5 leaves you can begin to harvest them by pinching or cutting them off. Simply allow some of the plants to go to seed and you will have another crop the following year!
Recipes
Dill is a spice, so you can add a bit of it to many recipes. It is especially good as an addition to dressings, such as this fresh dill salad dressing and home-made dips. For more mold-fighting recipe ideas follow our board on Pinterest!
Further Recommended Reading:
Foods to Eat When You Have Mold or Yeast in Your Body
Foods to Avoid When You Have Mold or Yeast in Your Body
Krystle Reeves assists in managing MoldBlogger.com, a website dedicated to providing a place to share and receive information that will better allow individuals to fight and conquer toxic mold and the consequences of mold exposure, and also blogs at Where the Green Things Grow where she shares her adventures and challenges in gardening, parenting, and life.
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