AJWAIN

(5.00 out of 5 stars) 1 rating, 430 likes

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Ajwain is native to the Middle East and is still common in Egypt as well as Indian cooking. Like turmeric, ajwain is a spice used to enhance digestibility rather than flavor.

ALLSPICE

(5.00 out of 5 stars) 2 ratings, 373 likes

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Highly aromatic & spicy, Allspice is an ideal appetizer that refreshes the mouth. It is a delicious addition to meats and desserts, where it doubles as a digestive aid. It's taste and astringency closely resembles cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves and it...

BASIL

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Basil's warm and spicy aroma adds a passionate flare to any dish, bringing the heat of the Mediterranean sun to your table. Its bright green color and vigorous flavor is unmistakable in pesto. It adds verve to a home-made tomato sauce, and is a perky...

BEER

(5.00 out of 5 stars) 1 rating, 109 likes

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Beer is Cheer Few people don't enjoy a cold beer on a hot summer's day. The paradox is that beer, although bitter and refreshing to taste, heats the body up. On a hot day, that increased heat leaves you thirsty and dehydrated,...

BEETS

(5.00 out of 5 stars) 1 rating, 566 likes

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"A tale that begins with a beet will end with the devil", wrote Tom Robbins in Jitterbug Perfume. For good reason too - cooking with red beets leaves the hands looking blood-stained. A chef who slaughters beets cannot hide - only run from the scene of...

CARAWAY SEEDS

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In the Middle Ages, caraway seeds were served with a bit of sugar as a digestive after a big meal, much the way sugar coated fennel is eaten after a meal in India.

CILANTRO

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Cilantro is the leaf of the coriander seed. Both the leaves and the seeds have citrus overtones. Cilantro, as a cooling herb, pairs well with hot spicy dishes.

CLOVES

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Cloves are native to India and Indonesia. They are the aromatic dried flower bud of a tree in the same family as Eucalyptus and Guava (Myrtaceae family). Cloves resemble a nail in shape. The English name 'clove' derives from the latin 'clavus'...

CUMIN

(5.00 out of 5 stars) 4 ratings, 374 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...

DILL

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Dill seems to lighten the palate. As one client reports, "Dill embodies the taste of freshness with a little kick." It is called shatapushpa in Ayurveda. Dill is a member of the carrot family (apiaceae) along with parsley, celery, cumin,...

DULSE

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Dulse is a red ribbon seaweed. It has a leathery texture.

FENNEL STALK

(5.00 out of 5 stars) 2 ratings, 293 likes

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Cool and soothing, verdant and fragrant, fennel is a member of the carrot family that includes other popular spices such as cumin, coriander, dill and celery. Fennel is used as a flavoring in some natural toothpastes and mouth fresheners.

FENUGREEK

(4.50 out of 5 stars) 2 ratings, 237 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.

GARLIC

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Regarded as both a force for good and evil, folklore and superstition abound when it comes to this little but poignant member of the onion family. A garland of garlic kept evil spirits and vampires away in the west. In an eastern Islamic myth, garlic...

GRAPEFRUIT

(5.00 out of 5 stars) 1 rating, 226 likes

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Grapefruit is a relatively new addition to the citrus family. It is a hybrid first discovered in the 18th century. Described as tart, tangy, or sweet, the grapefruit is said to be one of the "Seven Wonders of Barbados, because legend says the fruit was...

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...

JAGGERY

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Jaggery is raw, concentrated unrefined juice of sugar cane without separating the molasses from the crystal. It contains sucrose, invert sugars, moisture and other trace minerals and fibers of the sugar cane plant. In some cases jaggery is made from...

LEMON

(5.00 out of 5 stars) 2 ratings, 409 likes

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The origin of lemons are a mystery. Do they come from southern india? burma? or china? Speculation abounds. Genetic study reveals lemons are a hybrid of a sour orange and a citron.

MARJORAM

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Aids with release of pepsin in the stomach, useful in digesting proteins.

MOLASSES

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Introduction You'll feel warmed to the bone and relaxed after eating molasses. The gooey and thick nature of this sweetener gave rise to the famous phrase "as slow as molasses." One client observed these qualities, "The molasses...

NIGELLA (BLACK CUMIN)

(5.00 out of 5 stars) 1 rating, 168 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...

OLIVE OIL

(5.00 out of 5 stars) 1 rating, 206 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.

ORANGE ZEST

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The zest is the orange skin of the orange. The rind is the white part of the orange beneath.

PARSLEY (FRESH)

(5.00 out of 5 stars) 1 rating, 212 likes

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Parsley was revered for its medicinal potency long before it was eaten as a food. Native to the central Mediterranean region, the herb was sacred to the ancient Greeks. They used it to adorn victorious athletes and decorate the tombs of the dead.

PLUM

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Plums are the second most cultivated fruit in the world, second to apples. Varieties of plums have been traced back to Eastern Europe, the Caucasian mountains, and China. Plums along with olives, grapes and figs are among the earliest cultivated foods....

PUMPKIN SEEDS

(5.00 out of 5 stars) 1 rating, 447 likes

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Pumpkin seeds are warming, sweet, heavy, oily and blood building. In fact, if you puree them into a butter, the oil that separates out is blood red. Building your blood generally boosts your umph and your digestion. Also known as pepitas, pumpkin seeds...

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.

SCALLIONS (RAW)

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Opens Up the Lungs As an aromatic pungent, raw scallions opens up circulation to the lungs, chest, and skin. This quality is used to purge all cold related disorders from these organs. Scallions are helpful as both an expectorant...

SEAWEED (HYDRATED)

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Seaweed must by hydrated before serving to pacify Vata, otherwise it is too dry. The fire quality of salt aggravates Pitta and the liquid quality Kapha. Seaweed supplies iodine and has a rich nutrient profile. Examples include: Wakame...

SORGHUM FLOUR

(5.00 out of 5 stars) 1 rating, 133 likes

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STEVIA

(3.00 out of 5 stars) 2 ratings, 235 likes

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The...