MY LIST OF HERBS AND SPICES.
By Karimah bint Dawoud, food writer, photographer and muslim chaplain
As well as the conventional spices found in most foodies store cupboards, I have some that are fresh and some of them are medicinal. Whenever I travel I am always on the lookout for new things, when we look at herbs and spices, they have not been added to food over the years just because of taste, there is amazing health benefits to all of the Creator’s creation if we only knew.
Over the years our bodies have adapted to the herbs and spices and we think these tastes are “normal”. It’s the same for ALL foods that our parents give us.Clinically this is called the “Adaption Syndrome”. Our bodies have the ability to adapt and re-adapted to tastes, for this reason we are able to re condition our taste buds to more healthy alternatives because its never too late for change.
For example a potato and leek soup with lots of parsley in it, found as recipes in the colder climates in colder climates but did you know that parsley is good for respiration aids digestion of the foods we eat and acts as a Carmatives to prevent gas and bloating.
Parsley leaves and root are high in iron content and rich in vitamins A, B, C and trace minerals. Parsley adds color and
Both parsley leaf and root can be used in teas as a diuretic to rid the body of excess water. This may explain its folklore reputation for helping gout and rheumatism. Parsley does inhibit the histamines that trigger allergies so may help treat sinus infection and congestion. Parsley is also an emenagogue, meaning it can help to bring on delayed menses, so don’t use it in concentrated doses while pregnant. Some of this information is from the following useful site on the medicinal use of herbs
http://www.anniesremedy.com/herb_detail108.php
Or chili found in food of many of the hotter climates, but did you know that chili is a stimulant, now eaten by fashion models as a substitute for drugs that give them energy so they avoid eating…..hmmm, I hate to think what raw chili on am empty stomach will do.
In a hot climate , where you are out in the sun and in that environment you naturally eat less, you need a stimulus to get your work down.
So these herbs and spices are not there accidentally, they are there for deeper, more medicinal reasons but jazzed up in a way that we think is nice and our taste buds have got used to.
The medicinal use of herbs and spices is mention in the Ayurveda science, Islamic medicine and pagan herbalist.
For example in Islamic Medicine , the spice cumin; found in your curry and alot of Mediteraen food, is mention in terms of meidicne
from Medicine of the Prophet by Ibn Qayyim Al Jawziyyah,
- Volume 7, Book 71, Number 591:
- Narrated Khalid bin Sad:
- We went out and Ghalib bin Abjar was accompanying us. He fell ill on the way and when we arrived at Medina he was still sick. Ibn Abi ‘Atiq came to visit him and said to us, “Treat him with black cumin. Take five or seven seeds and crush them (mix the powder with oil) and drop the resulting mixture into both nostrils, for ‘Aisha has narrated to me that she heard the Prophet saying, ‘This black cumin is healing for all diseases except As-Sam.’ Aisha said, ‘What is As-Sam?’ He said, ‘Death.”
- Volume 7, Book 71, Number 591:
- Narrated Khalid bin Sad:
- We went out and Ghalib bin Abjar was accompanying us. He fell ill on the way and when we arrived at Medina he was still sick. Ibn Abi ‘Atiq came to visit him and said to us, “Treat him with black cumin. Take five or seven seeds and crush them (mix the powder with oil) and drop the resulting mixture into both nostrils, for ‘Aisha has narrated to me that she heard the Prophet saying, ‘This black cumin is healing for all diseases except As-Sam.’ Aisha said, ‘What is As-Sam?’ He said, ‘Death.”
Here we go, my list so far, alhAmdulilah, praise The Creator
A
- Ajwain, carom seeds (Trachyspermum ammi) (South Asia, Afghanistan, Iran, Egypt, Eritrea & Ethiopia)
- Anise (Pimpinella anisum)
- Asafoetida (Ferula assafoetida)
B
- Barberry (Berberis vulgaris and other Berberis spp.)
- Basil, sweet (Ocimum basilicum)
- Basil, Holy (Ocimum tenuiflorum)
- Bay leaf (Laurus nobilis)
- Borage (Borago officinalis)
- Black cardamom (Amomum subulatum, Amomum costatum)
- Black mustard (Brassica nigra)
- Brown mustard (Brassica juncea)
C
- Calabash nutmeg, ehuru (Monodora myristica) (West Africa)
- Caraway (Carum carvi)
- Cardamom (Elettaria cardamomum)
- Carob (Ceratonia siliqua)
- Catnip (Nepeta cataria)
- )
- Cayenne pepper (Capsicum annuum)
- Celery seed (Apium graveolens)
- Chervil (Anthriscus cerefolium)
- Chili pepper (Capsicum spp.)
- Chives (Allium schoenoprasum)
- Cilantros, coriander greens, coriander herb (Coriandrum sativum)
- Cinnamon, Indonesian (Cinnamomum burmannii, Cassia vera)
- Cinnamon, true or Ceylon (Cinnamomum verum, C. zeylanicum)
- Clove (Syzygium aromaticum)
- Coriander seed (Coriandrum sativum)
- Curry leaf (Murraya koenigii)
D
E
]G
- Galangal, greater (Alpinia galanga)
- Galangal, lesser (Alpinia officinarum)
- Garlic (Allium sativum)
- Garlic, elephant (Allium ampeloprasum var. ampeloprasum)
- Ginger (Zingiber officinale)
-
Fotos by Karimah Bint Dawoud
H
- Horseradish (Armoracia rusticana)
- Hyssop (Hyssopus officinalis)
I
J
- Juniper berry (Juniperus communis)
K
- Kaffir lime leaves, Makrud lime leaves (Citrus hystrix) (Southeast Asia)
- Kala Zeera, black cumin (Bunium persicum) (South Asia)
L
- Lavender (Lavandula spp.)
- Lemongrass (Cymbopogon citratus, C. flexuosus, and other Cymbopogon spp.)
- )
- Lemon verbena (Lippia citriodora)
- Licorice, liquorice (Glycyrrhiza glabra)
M
- Mace (Myristica fragrans)
- Marjoram (Origanum majorana)
- Marsh mallow (Althaea officinalis)
- Mint (Mentha spp.) 25 species, hundreds of varieties
- Mustard, black, mustard plant, mustard seed (Brassica nigra)
- mango slices and powder
N
- Nigella, kalonji, black caraway, black onion seed (Nigella sativa)
- Nutmeg (Myristica fragrans)
O
- Oregano (Origanum vulgare, O. heracleoticum, and other species)
- P
- pomegranate flowers
- )
- Paprika (Capsicum annuum)
- Parsley (Petroselinum crispum)
-
Fotos by Karimah bint Dawoud - Pepper: black, white, and green (Piper nigrum)
- Peppermint (Mentha piperata)
- Peppermint gum leaf (Eucalyptus dives)
Q
R rose petals
- Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis)
S
- Saffron (Crocus sativus)
- Sage (Salvia officinalis)
- Saigon cinnamon (Cinnamomum loureiroi)
- Sorrel, sheep (Rumex acetosella)
- Star anise (Illicium verum)
- Sumac (Rhus coriaria)
- Szechuan pepper, Sichuan pepper (Zanthoxylum piperitum)
T
- Tarragon (Artemisia dracunculus)
- Thyme (Thymus vulgaris)
- Thyme, lemon (Thymus × citriodorus)
- Turmeric (Curcuma longa)
V
- Vanilla (Vanilla planifolia)
W
- Wasabi (Wasabia japonica)
- Watercress (Rorippa nasturtium-aquatica)
- Willow herb (Epilobium parviflorum)
- Winter savory (Satureja montana)
- Wintergreen (Gaultheria procumbens)
- Wood avens, herb bennet (Geum urbanum)
Y
Z
- Za’atar (herbs from the genera Origanum, Calamintha, Thymus, and Satureja)
