Spices For Your Vegan Kitchen

I love herbs and spices! I always added them to my cooking and enjoyed buying them and smelling them, but I never knew how healthful they are. I thought they were simply for flavor enhancement. It turns out that many of the ingredients listed on this page help your health in a variety of ways. It's also cool to think about people thousands of years ago using them for cooking, preserving food, medicine, religious ceremonies, and for decoration. You can see pictures of the colors of the herbs below, and hopefully that will help you stock your vegan spice cabinet.

Allspice isn't actually a combination of several spices, it just got its name because its taste has flavors from many spices. It is grown in Jamaica, Honduras, Guatemala, and Mexico and is used often in their dishes. It's delicious in baked goods. Some people also use it for stomach aches, cold, and as a tea.

Arrowroot comes from Central America and the West Indies and is a great thickening agent for cooking, used in place of corn starch. Herbalists use the spice to control diarrhea, vomiting, and other stomach aches. It is also sometimes used for athlete's foot and other fungal diseases.

Basil is a tasty herb that contains vitamin C, calcium, iron, potassium, vitamin A and beta-carotene which both prevent free radicals from attaching in your body. It also has flavonoids that protect your body, as well as anti-bacterial properties. It has magnesium, which can help reduce inflammation and increase blood flow.

Bay leaves have been used since Ancient Greek and Roman times for spices. Now they are grown all over the world, especially in warmer clients, and comes in two varieties-- the Mediterranean bay, and the Californian bay, which has a stronger flavor. Bay leaves have vitamin A, vitamin C, some iron and manganese, and a little bit of calcium, magnesium, and potassium.

Caraway is actually a seed that is commonly ground and used as a spice in cooking. It is grown all around the world, and is native to Europe, Asia and Africa. It contains protein, and a property called carminative, which is used to reduce gastrointestinal pain.

Cardamom was used by Ancient Greek, Roman, Egyptian and Arab people. Cardamom is often used in Indian dishes, such as curries, and it is also used in chai tea. It is great for improving digestion, stimulating the metabolism, cleansing the kidneys and bladder, and detoxifying the body of caffeine.

Cayenne came from French Guiana in South America and is now grown all over the world. It is from the chili pepper family and is very spicy. Its spiciness comes from a substance called capsaicin, which is known to reduce pain and inflammation, help the heart, and to prevent ulcers. Spices with capsaicin are also studied for their ability to boost immunity, prevent stomach ulcers, clear nasal passages, and help lose weight. Cayenne also has vitamin A from its beta-carotene, which is a great antioxidant.

Cilantro comes from the coriander seed and is full of phytonutrients, flavonoids, and phenolic acid compounds, which can help to control blood sugar, reduce inflammation, lower cholesterol, aid digestion and prevent gas, and fight free radicals. It also is a good source of fiber, iron, and magnesium. It is studied for its effects on reducing metals in our system and helping with mercury poisoning. Some have found these spices to be good protection against salmonella bacteria and urinary tract infections.

Cinnamon is one of the oldest spices, and is grown in India, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Brazil, Vietnam, and Egypt. Cinnamon has fiber, iron, manganese, and calcium, and is a natural antioxidant. It appears to have great health benefits like lowering LDL cholesterol, regulating blood sugar, preventing yeast infections, reducing cancer cell development, blood clotting, reduction in arthritis pain, fights E coli bacteria, boosts memory function, and is a natural preservative because it stops bacterial growth.

Cloves date back at least 2000 years in Asia, and were traded around the world. Cloves have manganese, dietary fiber, vitamin C and omega-3 fatty acids, calcium and magnesium. They have a large amount of a compound called eugenol, which has been found to reduce inflammation, preventing environmental pollutants from being toxic, and as a mild anesthesia.

Cumin is another of the ancient spices that is now used in the Middle East, India, China, and the Mediterranean. The seed form holds its flavor longer than ground. Cumin is a good source of iron and manganese, which aid in energy and the immune system. Cumin also helps digestion and in protecting against carcinogens.

Curry is a mixture of spices such as coriander, turmeric, cumin, and fenugreek in their blends. Sometimes ginger, garlic, fennel seed, cinnamon, clove, mustard seed, green cardamom, black cardamom, mace, nutmeg, red pepper, long pepper, and black pepper may also be added. It is sold in the spice section and has all the benefits of the ingredients inside it.

Dill has been used for thousands of years in Russia, Africa, and the Mediterranean. It is a good source of iron, manganese, and calcium. Dill helps to protect against free radicals and carcinogens, to regulate bacterial growth, and to prevent bone loss.

Herbes de Provence is a mixture of spices that is commonly used in the Provence region of France. It usually has rosemary, marjoram, basil, bay leaf, thyme, and sometimes lavender flowers and other herbs.

Mustard seeds were written about in Sanskrit about 5000 years ago, so we know it's an ancient spice as well. It came from Europe, the Middle East, and Asia, but the Romans were the ones who turned it into the mustard paste we know today. It is now a hugely popular spice around the world.

Mustard has a large amount of selenium and omega-3 fatty acids, as well as phosphorous, magnesium, manganese, dietary fiber, iron, calcium, protein, niacin and zinc. Its health benefits include appetite stimulation, digestion, clearing the sinuses, increases blood circulation, inhibits cancer cell growth, and anti-inflammatory.

Nutmeg helps lower blood pressure, increase blood circulation, sooth stomach aches, stop diarrhea, detoxify the body, reduce respiratory problems, and stimulate the brain. It is also an anti-inflammatory and aids in digestion.

Oregano was used all the way back to Ancient Greece and Rome, and is now grown all over the world. It has tons of vitamin K, as well as iron, manganese, dietary fiber, calcium, magnesium, vitamin A, vitamin C and omega-3 fatty acids. It works as an anti-bacterial agent, and has more antioxidant power than most other fruits and vegetables.

Paprika comes from the same family as cayenne and thus has many of the same health benefits. It has a ton of vitamin C and helps lower blood pressure, improve blood circulation, with digestion, and as an antibacterial agent.

Parsley comes from Southern Europe 2000 years ago and is one of the most popular spices in today's time. It has vitamin A, vitamin C, and vitamin K. It is a good source of iron and folate. The volatile oils in parsley have been found to stop tumor formation, neutralize carcinogens, work as antioxidants, protect against rheumatoid arthritis, and prevention of heart disease.

Peppercorns originally came from India, and were used in ancient times, eventually becoming an important part of the spice trade. Black pepper has manganese, iron, vitamin K, and dietary fiber. It has been found to aid in digestion and help the intestine by stimulating the taste buds, which send a message to the stomach to help digest food better. It is also an antibacterial and antioxidant. Peppercorns are berries from the pepper plant and come in black, green, and white, each at a different stage in development. Pink and red peppercorns are from another type of plant.

Red pepper flakes come from cayenne peppers that are dried and crushed. See "cayenne" for details on health benefits.This is a popular spice in Italian dishes, and I wanted to show what it looks like.

Rosemary is another herb used to aid in digestion, and is used to treat stomach aches and headaches. It can also slow skin damage, cancer development, slow damage from free radicals, reduce fluid retention, improve kidney function, and ease liver swelling. Rosemary has vitamin E and great antioxidants.

Saffron comes from strands inside flowers that are handpicked and stripped. It is quite expensive, but has been shown to improve mooddisorders and prevent cancer.

Sage is an ancient herb that came from the Mediterranean and is now also grown in North America. It has been used to ease swelling and bleeding (especially menstrual bleeding,) ease stomach aches, improve memory, strengthen the nervous system, and to ease rheumatoid arthritis.

Turmeric has been used for at least 2500 years in India, first as a dye, and then for medicinal purposes. It is a great anti-inflammatory agent and has helped treat arthritis. It also works as an antibacterial and antiseptic agent, so it can clean cuts and burns and help heal skin problems such as psoriasis. Turmeric has been studied for its effects on preventing the spread of prostate, breast, and pancreatic cancer. It has also been shown to detoxify the liver, help with fat metabolism, treat depression, and slowing or preventing leukemia, multiple sclerosis, and Alzheimer's disease.

Thyme was used by ancient Egyptians for embalming pharaohs and in ancient Greece as incense. It has iron, manganese, vitamin K, calcium, and fiber. It has been used for a long time to treat respiratory problems and bacterial infections.

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