To maximize profits and extend shelf life for years, commercial brands put spices through heavy factory processing. There comes irradiation—bombarding the herbs with high-heat radiation to kill bacteria. While it increases the shelf-life of these spices, it simultaneously removes the delicate antioxidants, active compounds, and vital nutrients your body actually needs from these spices. Not to forget – studies have shown that irradiation generates trace amounts of benzene and toluene, which are known to be carcinogens.

Because of legal loopholes, brands don’t always have to clearly declare these processing aids on the front label. You think you’re seasoning your food with spices; in reality, you’re eating dead, chemically altered, diluted powder.