15 Powerful Antioxidant-Rich Foods: Benefits and Sources

As we age, our bodies undergo a natural process of deterioration. One of the mechanisms behind this process is the increase in so-called free radicals. These molecules cleanse the body by literally breaking chemical bonds in biological structures. However, free radicals are highly toxic to the organism and are one of the primary factors contributing to the aging process.

The Role of Antioxidants in Our Health

Antioxidants serve as a natural counterbalance to this internal destruction. These powerful molecules capture free radicals and deactivate them, essentially neutralizing their harmful effects. While our bodies produce their own internal antioxidants (one example being glutathione, the body’s number one naturally produced antioxidant), we also obtain others from our diet. Consuming foods and spices rich in antioxidants is one of the most effective ways to reverse signs of aging and promote overall health.

Measuring Antioxidants in Foods: The ORAC Scale

ORAC, or Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity, is a unit of measurement for antioxidant content originally developed by the National Institute on Aging (NIA) at the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Each item is measured in units called micromole Trolox equivalents per 100 grams (μmol TE/100g), standardizing values across different sizes and weights.

Top 15 Antioxidant-Rich Foods and Spices

The following list presents the 15 highest ORAC scores for all food or spice items ever recorded:

1. Dragon’s Blood. Dragon’s blood is the sap of the Croton lechleri tree and has the highest recorded ORAC value to date: 2,897,110 μmol TE/100g. Croton lechleri is a species of flowering plant in the spurge family, Euphorbiaceae, native to South America.
2. Astaxanthin. Astaxanthin is a phytonutrient from marine microalgae (it’s the compound that gives shrimp, lobsters, and some fish species their pink color). Astaxanthin has the second-highest ORAC value ever recorded at 2,822,200 μmol TE/100g. According to laboratory tests (1), astaxanthin is 6000 times more potent in antioxidant power than vitamin C, 800 times higher than CoQ10, and 550 times higher than vitamin E. Wild sockeye salmon contains large amounts of astaxanthin due to the microalgae it consumes in the ocean. Flamingos (which are actually born white) also turn pink after eating algae rich in astaxanthin.
3. Triphala Powder. Triphala powder, also known as triphala churna, is a medicinal herb powder used in Ayurvedic medicine for thousands of years. Triphala powder has an ORAC value of 706,250 μmol TE/100g. It consists of a mixture of three different fruits: amla berries, haritaki, and vibhitaki. Each of these fruits on its own has a high ORAC value. Combined, they have a synergistic effect and powerful cumulative strength.
4. Coffee Cherry Powder. Coffee cherry powder is a powder derived from the fruit of the coffee plant. Coffee cherry powder has an ORAC value of 343,900 μmol TE/100g. Usually, the fruits are discarded, and the inner beans are used to make coffee. Now, interest in this fruit is being revived as it has its own powerful antioxidants, significantly surpassing its tasty beans.
5. Sumac Bran. Sumac bran is a high-tannin, gluten-free variety of sorghum. Sorghum is a genus of numerous grasses, one variety of which has been cultivated worldwide for grain and animal feed since ancient times. Sumac Bran has an ORAC value of 312,400 μmol TE/100g.
6. Ground Cloves. Cloves are the aromatic dried flower buds of a tree in the family Myrtaceae. Cloves are native to the Maluku Islands in Indonesia and are used as a spice in cuisines all over the world. Ground cloves have an ORAC value of 290,283 μmol TE/100g.
7. Indian Gooseberry – also known as amla berries. Indian gooseberry is a light green berry produced by the Phyllanthus emblica tree, which grows in subtropical regions of South America and Southeast Asia. This fruit has the highest level of antioxidants among all berries on the planet. Indian gooseberry has an ORAC value of 261,500 μmol TE/100g.
8. Oregano. Oregano, used worldwide as a spice, has high antioxidant activity due to its high content of phenolic acids and flavonoids. Oregano is also a powerful antimicrobial agent, whose ability has been studied to combat intestinal pathogenic microbes such as Candida and E. coli. Oregano has an ORAC value of 175,295 μmol TE/100g.
9. Bacopa Powder. Bacopa, also known as brahmi, is an herb used in Ayurvedic medicine. It is also gaining popularity as a powerful nootropic, a substance that improves brain function. Most supplement companies sell doses in the range of 100-500 mg, which is only a small fraction of the 100 grams measured on the ORAC scale. Bacopa powder has an ORAC value of 169,800 μmol TE/100g.
10. Rosemary. Rosemary is an aromatic evergreen shrub used in culinary traditions around the world as a spice. Rosemary contains a number of biologically active compounds, including the antioxidants carnosic acid and rosmarinic acid. Other biologically active compounds include camphor, caffeic acid, ursolic acid, betulinic acid, and rosmanol. Rosemary has an ORAC value of 165,280 μmol TE/100g.
11. Peppermint. The antioxidant value of dried peppermint leaves, described in ORAC units, is: 160,820 μmol TE/100g. The reason why peppermint spice is much higher than fresh herb is related to water content. Since almost all water is removed from the dried leaves, the concentration of antioxidants turns out to be exponentially higher.
12. Thyme. The antioxidant value of dried thyme, described in ORAC units, is: 157,380 μmol TE/100g. Thyme is a culinary and medicinal plant of the genus Thymus. The amount of antioxidants in it is simply astonishing: it is among the top ten products tested for antioxidant content.
13. Thyme oil, the essential oil of common thyme (Thymus vulgaris), contains 20-54% thymol. Thyme essential oil also contains a number of additional compounds such as p-cymene, myrcene, borneol, and linalool. Thymol, an antiseptic, is the main active ingredient in various commercial mouthwashes such as Listerine.
14. Chaga Mushroom. The antioxidant value of chaga mushroom extract, described in ORAC units, is: 146,700 μmol TE/100g. There is much debate about the true ORAC value of chaga, as well as the powders, extracts, and teas containing this ingredient that are sold. As for the antioxidant content in chaga, their amount can vary greatly. Chaga (Inonotus obliquus) is a fungus that grows almost exclusively on the outside of birch trees in very cold climates. Technically, it’s not a mushroom but a fungal mycelium. Chaga is not digestible by humans in its raw form and has virtually no antioxidant value. This is because humans lack the enzyme chitinase necessary to digest the chitin cell walls (where the bioactive compounds are located).
15. Baobab. The antioxidant value of dried baobab fruit powder, expressed in ORAC units, is: 140,000 μmol TE/100g. Baobab is rich in B vitamins, has 6 times more vitamin C than an orange, 2 times more calcium than milk, many minerals including iron, phosphorus, potassium and magnesium, and is rich in polyphenols. It contains an extremely large amount of soluble fiber: 50% of it is fiber! This means that 10 grams of fruit = 5 grams of fiber (3 of which are in soluble form).

By incorporating these antioxidant-rich foods and spices into your diet, you can boost your body’s defence against free radicals, potentially slowing the aging process and promoting overall health and wellness.

References:
(1) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4663357/ Zhang ZW, Xu XC, Liu T, Yuan S. Mitochondrion-Permeable Antioxidants to Treat ROS-Burst-Mediated Acute Diseases. Oxid Med Cell Longev. 2016;2016:6859523. doi: 10.1155/2016/6859523. Epub 2015 Nov 16. PMID: 26649144; PMCID: PMC4663357.