KEY TO PRIMARY INDIAN SPICES AND THEIR HEALING (AYURVEDIC) PROPERTIES
Ayurveda, the ancient medical system of India, encompasses the healing of body, mind, and spirit through diet, lifestyle, and rejuvenation. Food and diet can have a profound influence on maintaining good health. Ayurvedic doctors credit herbs and spices (as well as certain foods) with health-giving properties, and recent scientific research is confirming some of these beliefs. Here are some of the most prominent seasonings used in Indian cooking with their therapeutic properties.
Note: Herbs, foods, and other natural remedies are not substitutes for professional medical care. For a specific health problem, consult a qualified health-care giver for guidance.
Black Peppers
Once green peppercorns are dried in the sun, they become black. When black peppercorns are soaked, their skins and pulp is removed and the resulting seed is the white peppercorn. Black, white, and green peppercorns are all used by Indian chefs. Black pepper is known as the king of spices and its name in Sanskrit refers to the sun, alluding to the belief that a substantial dose of the sun’s energy is contained in the grains and pods. In India, black pepper is often added to tea as a stimulant and peppercorns are sucked to soothe a sore throat.
Key Benefits of black pepper:
•Aids digestion.
•Improves the appetite.
•Prevents disease since it is anti-bacterial
Cardamom
Secondary to black pepper, cardamom, which is often called the queen of spices, is one of the most important Indian spices. It has been prized since ancient times and was chewed by the Moghul emperors of India as a breath freshener, a tradition that still exists today.
Key Benefits of cardamom:
•Considered a key digestive and is used to treat stomach disorders.
•Helps to prevent vomiting since it is anti-spasmodic properties.
•Refreshes the breath and soothes the throat.
Chile Pepper
Although chile peppers were introduced to India as recently as 400 years ago by the Portuguese, it is difficult to imagine Indian cooking without them. Similar to black pepper, chiles are warming to the body. Chile peppers are used in Ayurvedic medicine to promote digestion and to soothe a sore throat. When ground with coriander seeds and ginger, chiles soothe abdominal pain and nausea.
Key Benefits of chile peppers :
•Contains Vitamin A and more Vitamin C than citrus fruits.
•Soothes abdominal pain, nausea, and throat irritation
Cinnamon
Cinnamon, along with cardamom and bay leaf, is part of the Ayurvedic trio of aromatics used to heal the body and disguise the taste of medicines. When steeped in warm water, cinnamon tea harmonizes the flow of circulation, aids digestion, and helps the stomach to discharge gas. It reduces nausea and decongestion and leaves an appealing flavor in the mouth.
Key Benefits of cinnamon:
•Strengthens the heart, stimulates the kidneys and aids circulation.
•Cinnamon tea soothes colds, nervous tension, and stimulates digestion.
•Cinnamon oil is used as a liniment to soothe headaches, rheumatic pains, body aches, and toothaches.
Cloves
One of the earliest texts on Ayurveda describes cloves as the “flowers of the heavens”. The Portuguese, Dutch and French, all fought to control the trade of these little ‘flowers’ throughout the 16th and 17th centuries. Cloves are the unopened flower buds of the clove tree which are picked and dried in the sun. The word clove is derived from the French word ‘clou’, meaning nail. In Sanskrit, cloves are known as Lavanga. Cloves are a cure for halitosis. Through their scent and digestive action, they are also reputed to combat acidity in the stomach and purify blood
Key Benefits of cloves:
•Act as a stimulant and are aromatic
•Their antiseptic action helps numb the digestive system and reduces gastric pain
•Relieve colic and expel gas
Cumin
Recognized as one of the kings of Indian spices, cumin is used in the regional cookery and medicine of every part of India, from Kashmir to Gujarat to Bengal. The spice is cooked in street snacks or banquets alike, and blended into drinks to act as a cooling protection against indigestion or water borne stomach infections. Most of the digestive properties of cumin lie in the toasted seeds, or fruit. According to T.V. Sairam, author of “Home Remedies”, cumin seeds are actually the frui). Cumin is hot in nature and is believed to purify blood, stimulated digestive juices, and reduce nausea, particularly in pregnant women.
Key Benefits of cumin:
•Excellent for colds and fevers when infused in hot water
•Easily digested and effective in relieving indigestion, gas and flatulence
•Purifies the blood and protects against stomach infections
Coriander
Coriander was the first spice known in India and was mentioned over 3,000 years ago in ancient Sanskrit texts. Its leaves, seeds and roots are used in Indian cooking and medicine, making coriander the most popular culinary plant in India. Cooling in nature, coriander is believed to balance the body. Coriander is a diuretic, reduces cholesterol and improves eyesight. It also aids digestion.
Key Benefits of coriander:
•Fresh coriander juice can be administered internally or externally for allergies, skin rashes or inflammation
•The seeds, when crushed, roasted and infused in warm water, are diuretic and increase the flow of urine
Dill
Dill seeds have been cultivated for over 2,000 years. Indian dill, Anethum Sava, is much like the common variety, Anethum Graveolens. Both varieties have similar culinary properties, but Indian dill also plays a specific role in medicine. Dill seeds are often eaten after a meal since they enhance the secretion of digestive juices, cleanse the mouth and reduce flatulence. A hot infusion of dill seed and honey soothes colds and flu, and stimulates menstrual flow and breast milk.
Key Benefits of dill:
•An infusion of seeds and water relieves colic and hiccups
•Seeds soothe the stomach by enhancing the secretion of digestive juices
•Relieves colds and the flu
Fennel seed
Fennel has been known to Indian herbalists for centuries, and is still part of every Indian household’s medicine chest. There are several varieties of fennel in India, all known as ‘Saunf’. Like cumin seeds, fennel seeds are in fact fruits of the plant. The ‘fruits’ are infused in water and given to infants to relieve wheezing, asthma, and colic and given to adults to reduce fevers and indigestion. Fennel seeds are also eaten after meals to aid digestion and cleanse the breath.
Key Benefits of fennel seeds:
•Are an excellent stomach and intestinal remedy
•Reduces heat in the body
•Combats diseases of the chest, spleen and kidney
Fenugreek seed
Although first imported from Eastern Europe, fenugreek seeds are a prominent part of Indian food, culture and medicine. This strong scented herb grows in abundance in the north. The seeds, which are rich in iron, are excellent for combating anemia in pre- and post- partum mothers.When a child is born in India, it is customary to give the motherfoods flavored with fenugreek seeds for 40 days after the birth. Fenugreek seeds also play a major role at weddings, funerals, festivals and religious ceremonies.
Key Benefits of fenugreek:
•Enhances the performance of insulin so it is good for diabetics and for soothing persistent coughs
•Relieves flatulence and aids digestion
Garlic
Garlic, or the “bulb of life” as it was known to ancient Indian physicians, has been celebrated for its medicinal properties for centuries. In 350AD, Susruta, one of the earliest Indian surgeons, wrote a treatise on its therapeutic properties. In rural India, strings of bulbs are hung to ward
off insects, snakes, and evil spirits. Medicinally, garlic exhibits five of the six essential tastes prescribed by Ayurveda in balancing aggravation. Pungency is found in the bulb, bitterness is in the leaves, salinity at the crown, astringency in the stem, and sweetness in the seeds. Garlic is eaten in all forms of Indian curries since it lends a good taste to meat and fish. It also helps to digest them). Some feel it is an aphrodisiac and they avoid it.
Key Benefits of the garlic bulb:
•Traditionally used to treat asthma, deafness, and congestion
•Lowers cholesterol, blood pressure and relieves rheumatism.
•Clears eye infections when rubbed on the area since it is anti-bacterial
•Powerful detoxifier, rejuvenator, and cleanser for the blood
Ginger
This flavorful rhizome has been used for centuries in India cuisine and medicine. Ayurvedic texts credit it as a “universal great medicine”. Although ginger is widely used by both Indian and Chinese physicians, itoriginated in Indian soil and was introduced to China just 300 years ago. In addition to its hot, vibrant flavor, ginger is an excellent digestive and aphrodisiac. Ginger cures nausea and is good for rheumatism. Ayurvedic doctors suggest eating slices of ginger sprinkled with salt before meals to aid digestion. Chewing on a fresh piece of ginger relieves a sore throat, and hoarseness.
Key Benefits of ginger:
•Ginger tea warms the body, sooth fevers, motion sickness, and nausea
•Chewing fresh ginger cleanses the throat and tongue
•Combats cardiac disorders since it is an anticoagulant and anticholesterol
•Relieves rheumatic pain
Ginger is a spice that we’ve all come to know and love and fortunately, fresh ginger is now available in the produce section of all mainstream supermarkets. (NOT the case, when I first started writing about Chinese cooking about 40 years ago). It has been used by the Chinese and Indians for its hot, vibrant flavour and curative properties to warm the body dispelling chills, aiding digestion, and potent aphrodisiac for centuries.
Ginger (cont’d)
When looking for ginger:
•Choose fat, smooth knobs that are not withered and are fresh-looking. The more withered and mature ginger is, the more fibrous (difficult to cut) and pungent it will be.
•If you use ginger, infrequently, store it on a counter in a pot of sand or soil. It will keep indefinitely. Otherwise, keep it in a cool, dry place, where you store your garlic.
Ginger is widely known for its therapeutic properties.
Key Benefits:
•Ginger reduces all symptoms associated with motion sickness including dizziness, nausea, vomiting, and cold sweating and is even more effective than Dramamine.
•Ginger contains very potent anti-inflammatory compounds which explains why it provides reductions in pain levels and improvements in their when people suffering from osteoarthritis or rheumatoid arthritis consume ginger regularly.
•Ginger can not only be warming on a cold day, but can help promote healthy sweating, which is often helpful during colds and flus. German researchers have recently found that sweat contains a potent germ-fighting agent that may help fight off infections.
•Chewing on a fresh piece of ginger relieves a sore throat, and hoarseness.
Mace and Nutmeg
The nutmeg tree is a wide evergreen, native to the Spice Islands of Indonesia, however, it has been used in India as a spice and medicinally as early as 700 BC. Mace and nutmeg are two different spices from the same fruit. Nutmeg is the dried kernel and mace the dried reticulated aril. Nutmeg is more aromatic, sweeter and more delicate than mace and it is believed to impart strength and enhance sexual prowess.
Key Benefits of mace and nutmeg:
•Nutmeg relieves diarrhea and colic
•Aphrodisiac
Mustard
Mustard plants are easily identified throughout India because their blossoms create a carpet of gold throughout the countryside. The seeds of the plant are used medicinally and in the kitchen. There are three types of mustard seed– white, brown and black, and all are believed to share the same properties. When taken daily in food, mustard seeds will increase the appetite by stimulating the production of gastric juices. Mustard seeds also relieve headaches, muscle tension, calm the mind and sharpen intelligence. Beware of its potency – this sharp, slightly bitter spice can be deceptively hot when consumed in large doses.
Key Benefits of mustard seeds:
•Increase appetite and stimulates production of gastric juices
•Mustard oil is used to relieve arthritic pain
•Calms the mind and sharpens intelligence
•Purifies blood and increases circulation
Saffron
Its not surprising that saffron has been said to be ‘worth its weight in gold.’ It takes 750,000 crocus flowers to produce just 1 pound of saffron strands. This valuable spice has been revered for centuries since Arab traders brought saffron from central Asia and into Persia, Arabia, Greece, the Roman Empire, India, Burma and China. Today India and Spain are the major producers. Ayurvedic doctors use saffron to treat all types of ailments including fevers, melancholia, and uterine problems.
Key Benefits of saffron:
•Antibacterial and useful in treating digestive disorders
•A remedy for headaches when applied to the temples
•Effective in the treatment of liver, urinary and uterine dysfunction
•Aphrodisiac
Salt
“Kala Namak”, or rock salt, is the salt most commonly used in Indian cuisine. It is produced from the fertile quarries of the Gangetic plains in central India. Ayurvedic doctors believe rock or sea salt are the most beneficial forms of salt because unlike ordinary salt, they don’t increase the sodium content of blood and are therefore recommended for patients with high blood pressure. Salt also activates the flavors of food thereby enhancing the taste. It is also a rejuvenator while aiding digestion and improving eyesight.
Key Benefits of rock or sea salt:
•Cure for flatulence and heartburn
•Aids digestion
•Improves eyes sight
•Helps to lower high blood pressure
Star Anise
Star anise has been used in Chinese and Ayurvedic medicine and cooking for centuries. Both cultures use it as a breath freshener and digestive. It’s soothing to the stomach and is often used in cough medications. Star anise is usually used together with ginger and clove to treat nausea and vomiting.
Key Benefits of Star Anise:
•Aids Digestion
•Freshens bad breath
•The oil is believed to relieve rheumatism.
Turmeric
Turmeric is an herbaceous perennial that flourishes throughout India. Turmeric spice comes from the underground rhizome that is boiled, drained, dried in the sun then ground into a powder. India is the largest producer and consumer of tumeric in the world – it is the heart and soul of curries, it’s indispensable in Hindu rituals, it’s an important ingredient in cosmetics, and is essential in Ayurvedic medicine. Ancient Indian sages claimed “All poisons can be removed from the human body if treated with a paste of turmeric.” India is tropical and sub-tropical in some parts, making it susceptible to germs, viruses and bacteria. Since turmeric is antibacterial, antiallergenic, and a preservative, a sprinkling protects the body from tropical germs.
Key Benefits:
•Cools down the digestive, circulatory and reproductive systems
•Arrests cholesterol problems and helps to control diabetes
•Purifies the blood and eliminates toxins
•As antiseptic and aromatic, a washing with a paste of tumeric and lentil flour will cleanse and disinfect without removing the skin’s natural oils