Asian Spice with Health Benefits

What are spices? A spice is usually defined as an aromatic part of a tropical plant, be it root, bark, flower, or seed. All spices, with the exception of vanilla, chili pepper, and allspice, are of Asian origin. Many people group herbs and spices together as one set of plants. 

Herbs are quite different. An herb is a plant that does not have a woody stem and dies at the end of each growing season. Most herbs derive their flavoring or medicinal uses from their leaves.

All spices played a role in world history, but the spices that had the most effect on global trade and cultural interactions were chili peppers, black pepper, cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg.

Spices in the Ancient World

In the ancient world spice trading across the Indian Ocean and east to present day Indonesia and north to China was a daily occurrence. The Western world knew little of spices, and what they did know was filled with imaginative tall tales of birds building nests with cinnamon, and inhabitants of “clove island,” (Ternate, Tidore, Moti, Makian, and Bacan islands of Indonesia, the ancient capitals of clove cultivation) never growing old. The Asian trade was driven by the monsoon winds that blew ships south and west in the winter, and north and east in the summer. For centuries the West knew little of the spices that flowed east and west through Asia.

For China, records from the Han dynasty in the second century BCE indicate knowledge of a plant called Piper nigrum, which was supposed to be from the west of China, but more likely came from India, where black pepper originated in the southwest on the Malabar Coast. Also in the Han dynasty cinnamon first entered Chinese records as coming from present-day Vietnam. Cloves came out of the Moluccas and both the Chinese and Indians were active in the clove trade. Cloves appeared in India in the Ramayana literary classic somewhere around the beginning of the common era. Cloves—considered to be a breath freshener to be used in China before meeting with the Han emperor—were named “chicken-tongue fragrance.”

In the West the Romans were the first to use the spices of the East. Traders and middlemen carried black pepper from India up through the Red Sea and into Egypt and then across the Mediterranean Sea. Spice also flowed into Europe from the Middle East as Rome extended its empire in that direction. The Romans favored black pepper as their mainstay cooking spice, while cloves were mostly used in incense and perfume.

Above information source: https://researchpaper.essayempire.com/examples/history/spices-research-paper/

Health Benefits of Spices

1.  Turmeric  : Commonly used in curries, turmeric is a powerful spice that contains an important substance called curcumin, an antioxidant that aids in the prevention of cell damage. Curcumin also promotes the production of bile, facilitating digestion.

Turmeric is also known to be anti-inflammatory, proving effective in the reduction of pain caused by gout and other arthritic conditions. It is an antioxidant, protects heart in various ways, brain tonic and it helpful for arthritis.

2.  Black pepper: It is perhaps the best-loved and most widely used spice in the world, adding both heat and depth of flavor to nearly any dish. It comes from the berries of the pepper plant (Piper nigrum), native to Asia, which also produces green and white peppercorns. Black pepper is the whole, partially ripened fruit. Green pepper is the unripe fruit and white pepper is the peeled seed.

Rich in potassium, another mineral which helps improve your stomach's ability to digest foods and promotes intestinal health. Because it is a carminative, it discourages intestinal gas from forming, and as a bonus, the outer layer of the peppercorn aids in the break-down of fat cells.

          (Pink peppercorns are not true pepper. They are the dried berries of the Brazilian pepper tree and are not recommended due to a wide range of side effects: causing headaches, swollen eyelids, shortness of breath, chest pains, sore throat, hoarseness, upset stomach, diarrhea, or hemorrhoids in certain people.)

3.  Fenugreek : These seeds extract lowered how much fat was consumed by study participants over six weeks. In another study, taking ground fenugreek seeds (2 ½ tsp) soaked in hot water for six weeks lowered fasting blood sugar, triglycerides (a type of fat bad for heart health) and a certain type of blood cholesterol. It promotes milk flow in breastfeeding, reduce inflammation inside the body, improves digestive problems.

Oily Skin: Try taking two tablespoons of fenugreek seed, add lukewarm water, soak overnight, and grind into a paste. Add two tablespoons of aloe vera gel and mix, then apply to your face and leave on for 10-30 minutes. Rinse with lukewarm water and moisturize.

4. Cardamom : It is said to fight obesity and to have aphrodisiac qualities, as well having as the powerful antioxidants found in turmeric. It can lower blood pressure. It is also known as “the lung strengthening” spice and is said to help with bronchitis and asthma and to improve circulation.

Black cardamoms are a natural remedy to cure respiratory problems. You can combat Asthma, cold, cough and bronchitis with these black pods. It improves your dental health. It is possess a strong aromatic flavour, can fight dental disorders which include teeth and gum infections, and bad breath.

5.  Cinnamon: It is a favourite household spice and has been used throughout the world for centuries. Once traded as currency, this spice has a pleasant flavour and warm smell which has made it popular in cooking, particularly in baking and curries.

Cinnamon is reported to have many desirable medicinal and soothing effects and is used frequently in Chinese herbal medicine. The distinctive smell and flavour of cinnamon is due to the essential oils contained in the bark. The essential oil found in cinnamon bark is called cinnamaldehyde. Cinnamaldehyde displays antiviral, antibacterial and antifungal properties.

Cinnamon also contains large amounts of polyphenol antioxidants. Antioxidants can help protect the body from disease and are found in fruits, vegetables, herbs and spices. The antioxidants in cinnamon have been found to have anti-inflammatory effects.

Written by Chandan Shrivastav on dated 17 Feb 2018

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