CARDAMOM

(5.00 out of 5 stars) 8 ratings, 701 likes

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Love for cardamom resonates through history - for instance, ancient Egyptians chewed cardamom to whiten their teeth and sweeten their breath. Cardamom helps take the edge off of caffeine in the famous drink Turkish coffee. Cardamom is a member of the...

NIGELLA (BLACK CUMIN)

(5.00 out of 5 stars) 1 rating, 162 likes

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Found in Tutankhamun's tomb, black cumin is a famous as an Old World spice and medicine. The 'Tibb-e-Nabavi" or "Medicine of the Prophet (Muhammed)", reports the only disease it cannot cure is death. It's many uses have earned it the nickname "seed of...

FENUGREEK

(4.50 out of 5 stars) 2 ratings, 228 likes

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Fenugreek is one of the oldest medicinal plants. It has been used since 4000BC. It's name means "ram's horn clover". It was found in the tomb of Tutankhamen.

BARLEY

(5.00 out of 5 stars) 1 rating, 337 likes

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Barley has an ancient history, and was first cultivated in the Near East.

APPLE (COOKED)

(5.00 out of 5 stars) 1 rating, 915 likes

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In Norse mythology, apples are said to provide eternal youthfulness. Apples appear in many religious traditions, including the bible, often as a forbidden fruit. Apples originated in Western Asia, where its wild ancestor still grows today. There are...

CUMIN

(5.00 out of 5 stars) 4 ratings, 358 likes

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Appreciated since ancient times, cumin's aroma has wafted through kitchens since at least the second millennium BC, even flavoring breads and soups mentioned in the Bible. The highly valued spice was a currency to pay tithes to priests. The ancient...

TURMERIC

(4.58 out of 5 stars) 12 ratings, 1055 likes

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Turmeric is a warm, yellow, earthy, slightly bitter spice used in ritual, medicine, and cooking. Turmeric paste is applied to bride and groom before marriage in some places of India, Bangladesh, and Pakistan. Although a deep yellow color, turmeric...

BASMATI RICE

(4.00 out of 5 stars) 2 ratings, 595 likes

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Rice builds ojas. Ojas is said to have the smell of burnt rice. Of rices, Basmati is the most sattvic and aromatic. Rice is nourishing and easy to digest giving more 'bang for the buck'. Rice offers more calories with less effort from digestive...

STAR ANISE

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Star anise is a small evergreen tree native to China that closely resembles anise in flavor. Its licorice-flavored start shaped fruit is also grown in Japan and Vietnam. It has a dark brown color and contains six to eight seeded petal-like segments. ...

CAROB

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Carob is a hardy tree resistant to harsh climate and drought. It was used to feed swine and donkeys during famine. In the talmud and bible, numerous rabbis, the prodigal son, and St. John the Baptist reportedly lived on carob in the wilderness, earning...

LAMB'S QUARTERS

(4.75 out of 5 stars) 4 ratings, 95 likes

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Chances are, Popeye never ate spinach, he ate lamb's quarters instead. Next time you take a stroll in your neighborhood, look for this nutritious weed that boasts a meaty, hearty flavor. A northern relative of quinoa, lamb's quarters is packed with...

GOAT MILK

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Less gooey than cow's milk, sharp, and easier to digest because the varied diets of goats include more pungent taste. Cures diarrhea.

GHEE

(5.00 out of 5 stars) 3 ratings, 418 likes

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Trying to cut down on butter at the movies? Try popcorn with ghee and cinnamon. Ghee is golden and delicious. Children love it. It is also great as a garnish drizzled over food. For details on how to make ghee yourself search for "ghee" in the recipe...

WATER

(4.80 out of 5 stars) 5 ratings, 224 likes

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Staying Hydrated: Ayurveda's Approach to the Essence of LifeWater is the essence of life. Without it you cannot go on living. In fact, the sheer volume of water on Earth is what makes this planet unique. But how much do you really...

MUNG BEAN

(4.00 out of 5 stars) 1 rating, 391 likes

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Looking for a new way to keep your body refreshed and cleansed this summer? Mung beans can help you keep your cool when the days are hot. These nourishing legumes are also famous for their cleansing abilities in Ayurveda.

HING (ASAFOETIDA)

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Also known as devil's dung, stinking gum, food of the gods, and giant fennel, hing has a varied and suprising diversity of uses. Along the Tex-Mex border hing was used for wolf bait. The odor attracts wolves. In Jamaica, hing is used to protect the...

MAPLE SYRUP

(5.00 out of 5 stars) 1 rating, 283 likes

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The mere taste of Maple Syrup's rich aroma transports you back to nature, to the calm and cool serenity of the forest. The full bodied taste let's you know this is a whole food. It's earthy impurities add a rustic component that is likely to be rich in...

POMEGRANATE

(5.00 out of 5 stars) 1 rating, 284 likes

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Pomegranate comes from the latin words for apple (pomum) and seed (granatum), altogether meaning 'seeded-apple'. The seeds of the pomegranate are embedded in a white membrane that is also used for its medicinal qualities in Ayurveda. The french word...

AMARANTH

(4.00 out of 5 stars) 1 rating, 411 likes

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Amaranth represented up to 80% of the caloric intake of the Aztecs before the Spanish conquest. Amaranth tastes somewhat like corn, but is somewhat less sweet. Others have described the taste as nutty, like bacon or wood, or slightly bitter. It is...

CHOCOLATE (CACAO)

(4.00 out of 5 stars) 7 ratings, 276 likes

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Romance may be sealed with a box of chocolates, but passion for chocolate is as eternal as true love. Long before John Cadbury invented the chocolate bar, native meso-american peoples brewed chocolate with medicinal herbs. Chocolate has been used as...

GINGER (DRIED)

(5.00 out of 5 stars) 1 rating, 284 likes

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Ever reach for dried ginger as a quick replacement for the fresh root and assume it's an apt substitute? Ginger is ginger, right? Actually, not at all. Dried ginger packs a...

POPCORN

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Anything you eat must be completely rehydrated in order to digest it. That means dry foods like corn could absorb too much fluids for deficiency, dehydrated Vata typs. Corn is also drying in the colon as it continues to absorb moisture, leading to...

CAULIFLOWER

(5.00 out of 5 stars) 2 ratings, 348 likes

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Cauliflower causes gas in Vata types.

RYE

(5.00 out of 5 stars) 1 rating, 75 likes

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Rye is hearty, heavy, mildly bitter and pungent. A great winter grain.

POTATO

(5.00 out of 5 stars) 1 rating, 243 likes

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Causes Weight Gain The abundance of starch in potato and their high glycemic index cause weight gain.This heaviness puts you to sleep and can slow digestion. Cools Inflammation Potatoes, un-remedied by spices...

CORIANDER SEED

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Coriander is the seed of the cilantro plant. Its pleasantly fragrant aroma lifts the spirits and has a rustic feel.

BLACK PEPPER

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The word 'pepper' is dervied from the South Asian word 'pippali'. Pippali (long pepper) is a famous herb in Ayurveda for lung and heart conditions, and is a close relative of black pepper. The word pepper gradually came to include the unrelated New...

OLIVE OIL

(5.00 out of 5 stars) 1 rating, 198 likes

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Raw olive oil is pungent & bitter. It's oily and bitter qualities act as a cholagogue, flushing the liver and gall bladder. In the United States, most olive oil is pasteurized. When cooked, olive oil loses its cleansing properties and sadly, its taste.

CINNAMON

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Cinnamon is a small evergreen tree in the Lauraceae family native to Sri Lanka. Other members of this family include sassafras, avocado, camphor, and spicebush. Trees of the laurel family, including cinnamon, predominate in the world's laurel forests....

SPINACH

(3.50 out of 5 stars) 2 ratings, 106 likes

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Spinach is heating in the digestive tract and drying. It is unusual because very few foods are both astringent and hot. It contains oxalic acid which provokes Pitta and is especially contraindicated for kidney stones. Cooking destroys the oxalic acid.

TAHINI

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Smooth, hearty tahini is the creamy butter of blended sesame seeds. This savory and sensual spread invites a Middle Eastern richness to your...

MINT

(5.00 out of 5 stars) 2 ratings, 323 likes

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From tingly shampoos to teas and flowerbeds, mint is an inspiring, popular worldwide herb whose medicinal qualities are also extensive. Varieties of mint grow in nearly every country and climate. In Central and South America mint is called hierbabuena,...

ROSEMARY

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Rosmarinus, is from the latin "dew" (ros) and "sea" (marinus), and means "dew of the sea". Rosemary grows in arid Mediterranean conditions and, as its name implies, can survive on the humidity carried by the sea breeze.

CHICK PEA (GARBANZO)

(5.00 out of 5 stars) 1 rating, 308 likes

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The fiber in chickpeas is nearly 75% insoluble which remains undigested as it reaches the colon. This significantly bulks up stools for a satisfying morning elimination. As with many high fiber foods, beans have been shown to reduce cholesterol,...