This exquisite spice may help brighten your bluest days. In one study, psychiatrists from the Tehran University Medical Center in Iran divided people with mild to moderate depression into two groups—one took fluoxetine (Prozac), the other took saffron (15 milligrams, twice a day). After two months saffron was as effective as fluoxetine, relieving depression in 25 percent of the study participants. The spice appears to work in exactly the same way that many antidepressants do, say researchers. Two compounds in saffron (crocin and safranal) protect levels of brain chemicals, such as serotonin and dopamine, that boost and stabilize mood.

Nutritional Rx: Saffron only works in liquids and must always be infused in warm water or milk before it’s added to a recipe. Try it in stews, soups, curries and creamy sauces.

Ironically, this spicy-sweet favorite of pastry chefs can also help control blood sugar. In a recent study, 109 people with type 2 diabetes were divided into two groups: One received a gram of cinnamon a day and one received a placebo. After three months, those taking the cinnamon had a .83 percent decrease in glycosylated hemoglobin—the most accurate measurement of long-term blood sugar control (a decrease from .5 to 1 percent is considered significant improvement). Richard Anderson, PhD, a scientist at the Beltsville Human Nutrition Research Center of the US Department of Agriculture, believes the spice mimics insulin, a blood-sugar-regulating hormone.

Nutritional Rx: Sprinkle cinnamon on apples, bananas, melons and oranges. Or make a spiced wine: Put a bottle of wine in a large pot and gently simmer it with ½ cup of sugar, a cinnamon stick and a lemon studded with cloves for 15 minutes.

Oil of clove, or eugenol, is a mild anesthetic. In fact, clove oil is just as powerful as benzocaine in numbing oral tissues at the dentist, reported a team of researchers in Journal of Dentistry. And it can boost circulation: When it’s rubbed around a painful tooth, blood vessels near the gum dilate, bringing blood to the surface with a warm, soothing sensation. And it’s an analgesic, reducing pain. And it’s anti-inflammatory, reducing redness and swelling around an injury. And it’s antibacterial, killing germs. All those therapeutic powers help explain why cloves are a formidable medicine against many forms of oral disease, such as gingivitis and periodontitis.

Nutritional Rx: It only takes a few cloves to add aroma to a pot of savory soup. But remember to remove them; unknowingly biting into a whole cloves can spoil the taste, not to mention chip a tooth. Try studding a small onion with cloves and adding it to a broth. When the dish is finished, retrieve the onion and throw it out.

If you’ve heard that this tropical sice is fattening, you’re right. Coconut is 82 percent fat, 72 percent of which is saturated. But here’s the surprise: The saturated fat in coconut is what’s called a medium-chain triglyceride (MCT). Unlike the saturated fats found in red meat and dairy, MCT is moved by the body directly from the stomach to the liver where it’s metabolized so fast it actually burns more calories than it contains. In fact, studies show that people who eat lots of dietary MCT burn an average of 100 extra calories a day, compared to folks who don’t eat an MCT-rich diet. And coconut contains more MCT than any other food. In a study published in Lipids, Brazilian researchers gave women either soy oil or coconut oil supplements to take for three months. At the end of the study, both groups lost a little weight, but only those taking the coconut oil had much trimmer tummies.

Nutritional Rx: Sprinkle shredded coconut over meat, fish stews and curries. Or make hot cocoa with coconut milk instead of cow’s milk and add a cinnamon stick for stirring.

Here’s one fresh flavor that can help keep your digestive tract in mint condition. In one study, 110 people with IBS were divided into two groups: One group took a placebo and one group took an enteric-coated peppermint oil capsule 15 to 30 minutes before each meal. Of those taking peppermint, 79 percent reported relief from abdominal pain and discomfort and 29 were pain free. Bloating was reduced in 83 percent. Flatulence was eased in 79 percent. And 83 percent reported having to take fewer trips to the bathroom. There was little improvement in the placebo group. Peppermint relaxes the muscles of the GI tract, helping to normalize contractions and ease irritable bowel syndrome symptoms.

Nutritional Rx: Substitute mint for basil in a mint pesto or make an untraditional chimichurri sauce by using mint instead of parsley.

Feeling overwhelmed? Beat stress with basil. Researchers in India found that several compounds in basil normalize cortisol levels, lower blood sugar (which spikes when you’re under stress), decreases creatine kinase (an enzyme generated when the body is under sever stress, such as during a heart attack) and stops adrenal hypertrophy (a sign of overworked adrenal glands).

Nutritional Rx: Team fresh basil with mint and cilantro along with Bibb lettuce, bean sprouts and chiles for a Vietnamese salad plate. You can also make a basil marinade for chicken by putting a big handful of fresh basil or a tablespoon of dried basil, salt and chopped garlic in equal part of extra-virgin olive oil, lemon juice and water.