Antioxidants - ORAC units of some high scorers

[Irene de Villiers]

Antioxidant phytochemicals
A recent report using a standardized oxygen radical absorbance
capacity or ORAC analysis against peroxyl radical shows

(source: Wu, 2004):

cinnamon (2675 micromol TE/g),

cloves (3144 micromol TE/g),

turmeric (2001 micromol TE/g)

dried oregano (1593 micromol TE/g)

acai powder (1027 micromol TE/g).

lowbush blueberry or cranberry is 10% less than Acai (app 900)

One of Perricone's books has much more extensive info on Orac and
antioxidant values of foods - Oracs are mot the be all and end all as
antioxidant capacity varies according to what kind of antioxidant
activity is measured, and on what scale.

However - it's a starter guide:-)

By the way - Dark Chocolate has more Orac units than any of the
above, and cocoa has twice as much again:-)

Namaste,

Irene

--
Irene de Villiers, B.Sc AASCA MCSSA D.I.Hom/D.Vet.Hom.
P.O. Box 4703 Spokane WA 99220.
www.angelfire.com/fl/furryboots/clickhere.html (Veterinary Homeopath.)
"Man who say it cannot be done should not interrupt one doing it."

[healthinfo6]

Here's a sample from a comprehensive list. Dark chocolate is much lower in ORAC not twice as much as the ones you posted plus if not sugar-free, way too many carbs! If you must eat, use organic dark chocolate, the sugar is unrefined.

Cocoa, unsweetened is a much better choice, blends well in whipped cream. Turmeric is high too, not sure if it tastes good in whipped cream.

Why not just eat ground cloves, #1, 15x the ORAC of dark chocolate? Acai/palmberry not on this list. I use lots of mustard, which I never thought of for anti-oxidants. Spinach is very low.

Item ORAC Value
Spices, cloves, ground 314,446
Sumac, bran, raw 312,400
Spices, cinnamon, ground 267,536
Sorghum, bran, hi-tannin 240,000
Spices, oregano, dried 200,129
Spices, turmeric, ground 159,277
Sorghum, bran, black 100,800
Sumac, grain, raw 86,800
Cocoa, dry powder, unsweetened 80,933
Spices, cumin seed 76,800
Spices, parsley, dried 74,349
Sorghum, bran, red 71,000
Spices, basil, dried 67,553
Baking chocolate, unsweetened, squares 49,926
Spices, curry powder 48,504
Sorghum, grain, hi-tannin 45,400
Chocolate, dutched powder 40,200
Sage, fresh 32,004
Spices, mustard seed, yellow 29,257

Spices, ginger, ground 28,811

Spices, pepper, black 27,618
Thyme, fresh 27,426
Marjoram, fresh 27,297
Rice bran, crude 24,287
Spices, chili powder 23,636
Sorghum, grain, black 21,900
Candies, chocolate, dark 20,823
Candies, semisweet chocolate 18,053
Nuts, pecans 17,940
Spices, paprika 17,919
Chokeberry, raw 16,062
Tarragon, fresh 15,542
Ginger root, raw 14,840
Elderberries, raw 14,697
Sorghum, grain, red 14,000
Peppermint, fresh 13,978
Oregano, fresh 13,970
Nuts, walnuts, english 13,541
Nuts, hazelnuts or filberts 9,645
Cranberries, raw 9,584

Spinach, frozen, chopped or leaf, unprepared 1,687

Susan

--- In minutus@yahoogroups.com, Irene de Villiers wrote:

[Irene de Villiers]

It depends whose Orac you use.

Orac is not a fixed measurement, it depends on the specific radical
or substance you are using in your Orac testing. So chocolate is
stronger against some of those chemicals than others. It's an
imperfect system and the same swubstanced will have different Orac
vallues according to the chemical used in the testing.
Also, the store bought dark chocoloate is only 60% cacao if that, and
some dark chocolate is 90%. So there needs to be specification of how
dark and what was used in testing.

Both lists can be valid under different circumstances.

Per unit weight, it is maybe half what acai is, but it is easy to eat
many times as much spinach by weight, and it is not one third
carbohydrate. So it needs to be seen in context.

Namaste,
Irene
--
Irene de Villiers, B.Sc AASCA MCSSA D.I.Hom/D.Vet.Hom.
P.O. Box 4703 Spokane WA 99220.
www.angelfire.com/fl/furryboots/clickhere.html (Veterinary Homeopath.)
"Man who say it cannot be done should not interrupt one doing it."