Do dried herbs retain their nutrients?

Again, yes and no. In 2003, The American Society for Nutritional Sciences published a study that assessed the levels of antioxidants in certain dried herbs. • Oregano, sage, peppermint, thyme, lemon balm, clove, allspice and cinnamon all contained very high levels of antioxidants. • Purple coneflowers, tansy, sweet marjoram, hyssop and anise hyssop had medium levels. • German chamomile, European angelica, roseroot and coriander all had relatively low concentrations.

The dried herbs with very high levels of antioxidants, may in fact be an even better source of dietary antioxidants than many other food groups.

However, vitamins are partially lost in the drying process. For example, 30g of fresh basil provides 30 per cent of the daily value (DV, or the percentage a serving of the food contributes to your daily needs) for vitamin A, 8 per cent of the DV for vitamin C and 145 per cent of the DV for vitamin K. Take the dried equivalent of basil, or 1 tablespoon, and you get 4 per cent of the DV for vitamin A, 2 per cent for vitamin C and 43 per cent for Vitamin K. Most minerals are hardly affected.