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...

ANISE

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Anise is sweet and very aromatic.

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...

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.

CARDAMOM

(5.00 out of 5 stars) 8 ratings, 736 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...

CELERY STALK

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The word for celery comes from the Greek word selinon which translates to 'parsley,' a close relative of celery. Celery's powers have been known since antiquity. Leaves of it were found in the garlands surrounding King Tut's tomb, and Homer makes...

CHAMOMILE

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Chamomile infuses your tea with a delicious floral aroma that is warm, light & airy. Its smell is reminiscent of apples, first noted by the Greeks, who named it 'ground-apple' (kamai=ground & melon=apple). Improve Sluggish...

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.

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....

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'...

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.

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,...

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Epazote is a popular cooking herb in Mexican cuisine. Avoid in pregnancy as epazote is listed as an emmenagogue. Anti-Parasites The essential oil was officially listed in the United States Pharmacopoeia as a vermifuge and was...

FENNEL SEEDS

(5.00 out of 5 stars) 3 ratings, 478 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. Fennel seeds...

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.

GINGER (FRESH)

(5.00 out of 5 stars) 4 ratings, 798 likes

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IntroductionA steaming hot mug of ginger tea on a damp day warms up your bones and burns away thick, heavy congestion. When the weather is soggy, you feel tired and groggy. You naturally crave sunlight and heat. Pungent and light,...

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...

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.

LEMON ZEST

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Citrus zest is highly aromatic bitter, making it ideal for stimulating appetite and reducing upper GI food stagnation. Ysha Oakes reports, "The gentle pungency is digestive, and carries limonene which is well researched for anti cancer properties."

MINT

(5.00 out of 5 stars) 2 ratings, 334 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,...

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...

NUTMEG

(4.00 out of 5 stars) 1 rating, 158 likes

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Nutmeg is aromatic, astringent, and a sedative. It's aromatic quality makes it ideal for improving digestion, while astringent quality helps bind the stool. Nutmeg is thus the preferred spice for cold type diarrhea. Nutmeg cuts through fat of milk...

OATS / OATMEAL

(5.00 out of 5 stars) 7 ratings, 458 likes

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Oats have a slimy quality helping expectoration in Kapha when combined with spices. The slimy quality also helps soften the GI tract in Vata. Be careful with granola bars! Dry oats in any form absorbs moisture from the GI tract, aggravating Vata if...

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.

SAFFLOWER

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Safflower is one of humanity's oldest crops.

SAFFRON

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Saffron's use is ancient. Saffron-based pigments have been found in 50,000 year-old paintings in northwest Iran. It conjures romance, royalty, and delicacy wherever it appears. Alexander the Great bathed in saffron to cure battle wounds. Cultivated...

TARRAGON

(5.00 out of 5 stars) 2 ratings, 99 likes

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The name tarragon is a corruption of the French esdragon, derived from the Latin dracunculus, which means a little dragon.

TURMERIC

(4.64 out of 5 stars) 14 ratings, 1069 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...

TURMERIC ROOT (FRESH)

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See Turmeric.