Most Delicious Poison: The Story of Nature's Toxins—From Spices to Vices

by Noah Whiteman

Yet, once the GSH and GST enzyme levels become elevated thanks to sulforaphane, the higher levels of GSH and GST enzymes scavenge other toxins, including those produced through normal metabolism. This indirect benefit of sulforaphane consumption, this GSH and GST enzyme boost, is the main way that sulforaphane slows progression of Parkinson’s disease-like symptoms in lab animals. I know this was a lot of detail, but the triggering of our body’s detoxification response by some dietary toxins like mustard oils illustrates an important concept as it relates not only to spices but also to other toxins we ingest. Hormesis, which comes from the Greek word hormē, “to set in motion,” is a poorly understood but widely observed phenomenon. Through this phenomenon, modest amounts of environmental stressors, like cold shock (ice bath plunge), heat shock (sauna), or spicy mustard oils, can protect us from cellular damage caused by both internal and external stressors that our bodies will encounter in the near future. The idea is that mild environmental stressors can trigger an adaptive physiological response that soon dampens the negative effect of the stressor. The concept of hormesis is controversial because the underlying mechanisms driving it may be quite different, depending on the stressor, and their later downstream effects may or may not matter for our health and well-being. The long-term cost-to-benefit ratio of hormesis as a prophylaxis or treatment for illnesses is quite unc...