Benefits of Indian Spices

The spice can be useful to add flavor and color to the food or can act as preservative. Spice is a dried, vegetative seed or fruit. Most of the time spices are compared to the herbs but both are different from each other. Herbs are the grass like plants with leaves, flowers and seeds and can be useful for adding flavor to food. Herbs are used as medicine also.

Types of spices

A) Culinary Spice - These spices are used for cooking purposes. Those spices can be Ajwain (carom seeds)

B) Botanical Spice - These are the spices used from the tree bark (Cinnamon), dried seeds (mustard seeds) and dried flower (cloves)

C) Mixture of spices- The spices made up from the combination of two or more spices are included in the category of mixture of spices. It includes garam masala or chili powder.

Some common Indian spices and their benefits

1) Turmeric powder (Haldi)
Turmeric is the most essential element of indian cooking and indian spices and thats the reason Turmeric is always remember as 'King of all spices'
Benefits - Turmeric has anti-inflammatory properties and hence useful in any joint inflammation or joint pain. According to the research study turmeric helps to retard the growth of fat cells and thus helps to reduce the weight. It is also helpful in preventing Alzheimer's disease.
How to use - Turmeric can be used in any indian food items. Add a teaspoon of turmeric in any curries or soups while preparing.

2) Asafotida (Hing)
Asafotida has a very strong taste and hence it is necessary to add only a pinch of it in the food.
Benefits - It is called as females remedy because asafotida is mostly useful in female complaints. It is very useful during painful menstruation and sterility. Asafotida is most commonly used in case of flatulence or distension of abdomen due to heavy meals.
How to use - Some food items like potatoes, lentils, chickpeas, etc cause flatulence or bloating of abdomen so in those food items add a pinch of hing while preparation. It gives good essence and also relieve the abdominal complaints.

3) Cinnamom (Dalchini)
Cinnamon is commercially grown in southern part of india - Kerala. CInnamon is obtained from the inner bark of a tree.
Benefits - Cinnamon has the richest source of anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory effects. Eugenol is the major component of cinnamon oil which has anti-viral properties. Thus it can prove useful against Herpes simplex virus 1 and 2.
According to the study Cinnamon in diet helps to improve the type 2 diabetes. Everyday intake of Cinnamon helps to reduce the cholesterol levels and prevent the heart diseases.
How to use - Use one or two sticks of Cinnamon in curries. It gives good taste if used in chicken curries.

4) Cardamom (Elaichi)
Cardamom is the a spice that can be used in any food from a cup of tea to Indian dessert. Elaichi is one of the most expensive spice available. Many different types of cardamom are available and all are widely used. They have unique flavor and intense aroma.
Benefits - It is widely useful for the stomach related problems like indigestion, acidity and helps to relieve the stomach bloating. It has been also used as aphrodisiacs and appetite stimulant.
It is used as traditional medicine in South Asian countries to treat the infection of tooth and gums, throat infections and respiratory infections.
How to use - Make the powder elaichi or add whole elaichi in the dessert or tea.

5) Bay Leaves (Tejpata)
The dried or fresh leaves are used in cooking for their distinctive flavor. Bay leaves are commonly used in Biryani, chicken curries and spicy dishes.
Benefits - Bay leaves contain compound called Parthenolides which is useful for migraine It also has anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant properties. Bay leaves are also used as traditional remedy for cold and cough. Bay leaves is useful in digestive and stomach problems like flatulence and indigestion. Bay leaves contain Eugenol which proves effective in arthritis.
How to use - Bay leaf oil can be applied externally in case of arthritis, muscular pain and sprain. Add 1-2 bay leaves in a cup of 2-3 cup of boiling water. Drain the water and drink it every day. Apply this warm water over the panful parts , it heals the pain immediately.

6) Cloves (Lavang)
Cloves are the dried flower buds and used as spice in cooking all over the world.
Benefits - Cloves are very commonly used in the toothache and dental emergencies. Cloves are good anthelminthic, it helps to remove the worms in kids. It also helps in constipation by improving the peristalsis of intestines.
According to some studies cloves help to reduce the blood sugar levels.
How to use - 1 -2 cloves or clove oil can be applied in the decayed tooth to get relief from the tooth pain.

7) Cumin Seeds (Jeera)
Cumin is a dried seeds of a flowering plants and useful in all purpose of cooking and in all the cultures.
Benefits - Cumin is very good for digestion related problems. Cumin contains an element called Cuminaldehyde which promotes the initial digestion process. It improves the digestion by reducing the flatulence and abdomen bloating.
Cumin is rich source of iron and hence it helps to fight against anemia. Cumin also helps to improve the mental function and memory.
Cumin fights against the infection of respiratory tract like cold, cough and bronchitis.
How to use - Add 1 tsp of cumin seeds while preparing the food in the oil. It gives good aroma and taste.
The essential oil of cumin can be applied externally for the skin disorders like fungal infection as it nutritious the skin with Vitamin E.