Ending the Silence

Herb Magick

* Herbal Medicines Dictionary
* Magical Herbs Dictionary
* Kitchen Herbs & Spices
* Herbal remedies (recipes)
* Herbal Crafts
* History of herbs
* Herbal Teas
* Herbal Gardens
* Safety with Herbs
* Herbal Healing for Pets
* Herbs for Women
* Herbs for Men
* Herbal Links

This is to be used as a reference, a guide in which one can ask or speak to professional or one's doctor before undertaking any herbal remedy.

Kitchen Herbs & Spices

Allspice
Anise Seed
Arrowroot
Almond
Ajowan
Amchur
Annatto
Asafoetida
Basil, Sweet
Bay Leaves
Caraway Seed
Cardamom
Cayenne Pepper
Celery Seed
Chervil
Chives
Cilantro
Cinnamon
Cloves
Coriander
Cassia
Cubeb
Fenugreek
Galangal

Cream of Tartar
Cumin
Curry Powder
Dill Seed and Weed
Fennel Seed
Garlic
Ginger
Horseradish
Juniper Berries
Mace
Marjoram
Mint
Mustard Seed
Nutmeg
Onion

Kokum
Lemon Grass
Licorice
Lime
Oregano
Paprika
Parsley
Pepper
Poppy Seeds
Red Pepper
Rosemary
Saffron
Sage
Sesame Seed
Savory
Tarragon
Thyme
Turmeric
Vanilla
Chocolate (Cocca)

Melegueta Pepper
(Grains of Paradise)
Nigella
Star Anise
Sumac
Szechwan Pepper
Tamarind
Zedoary

Herbs & Spices:

History:

Cooking with Spices and Herbs

General Freshness Guidelines

Spice Storage Tips

Welcome! Herbs and spices have been used to flavored our food since the early years of mankind. I hope to present here some of the common herbs and spices used in cooking. If for any reason you like to contact me please click here, and if you have a site you like to recommend, a recipe, or information about an herb or spice then please feel free to contact me.

In the future I like to expand upon the list that is below but for now, these are the herbs and spices that one can find within these pages. Thank you for stopping bye and enjoy the site.

WHAT IS A SPICE?

WHY WERE SPICES IMPORTANT?

SOURCES OF SPICES

CULINARY HERBS

SPICES AS APHRODISIACS

USE OF SPICES AS MEDICINES

HISTORY OF SPICE TRADE

Spice of Life
Vast fortunes made and squandered, powerful rulers seduced, ailments cured, and nations discovered�all in the name of spice. Spices have always cast a spell on our imaginations. They flatter our senses: our sight with their vibrant colors, our smell with their enticing fragrances, and our taste with their distinct flavors.

Spices have been the catalysts of some of the greatest adventures in human history, like Christopher Columbus' voyage. Still today, spices empower us as explorers, even if we never journey beyond the kitchen counter. They energize our daily adventures in food and remind us of journeys to exotic places and favorite meals with loved ones.

Primitive Beginnings
Though the word "spice" didn't appear until the end of the 12th century (a derivative of the Latin word "species," which denoted a wide variety of products), the use of herbs dates back to early humans. Primitive peoples wrapped meat in the leaves of bushes, accidentally discovering that this enhanced the taste of the meat, as did certain nuts, seeds, berries--and even bark. In ancient times, spices and herbs were used as a way to mask the often unpleasant taste and odor of food, and later, to keep food fresh.

Precious Commodities in Antiquity
The first spice expeditions were organized in ancient times to ensure that these coveted commodities would always be in supply. Legend has it that around 1000 B.C. Queen Sheba visited King Solomon in Jerusalem to offer him "120 measures of gold, many spices, and precious stones." A handful of cardamom was worth as much as a poor man's yearly wages, and many slaves were bought and sold for a few cups of peppercorns.

Arab traders were the first to introduce spices into Europe. Realizing that they controlled a commodity in great demand, the traders kept their sources of supply secret and made up fantastic tales of the dangers involved in obtaining spices.

At the crossroads of land trade from India and sea trade from the Mediterranean, spices played a huge role in Phoenician trade. The Phoenicians were expert merchants and smooth navigators; so much so that at the end of the 14th century B.C., spices were called "Phoenician merchandise." These slick middlemen knew how to offer their services to kings as well as pharaohs in order to extend their supply sites and possibly pave the way to India.

But spices' origins remained a mystery, despite the fact that, in the 4th century B.C., the great conqueror Alexander the Great lifted a part of the veil of this mysterious, magical India where, as Herodotus wrote, "cinnamon grows in deep lakes, near the homes of flying animals."

Pepper Reigns in the Roman Empire
The Roman Empire, whose boundaries progressively extended from one side of the Mediterranean to the other, couldn't ignore these bewitching spices. Cleopatra herself used a "very stimulating" food to seduce Caesar. Huge quantities of saffron were strewn on the streets of Rome to celebrate Nero's entrance into the city.

The reputed excesses of ancient Roman food consumption were apparent in the wide variety of seasonings used in the meals of the rich. Pepper, the Roman spice of choice, was as omnipresent as garum (a fish-based sauce) on the Roman tables. Without a doubt, spices had become status symbols.

In the biblical story of the Magi, three kings from the exotic reaches of the Orient give gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh to the newborn Jesus Christ. Frankincense and myrrh were rare, very expensive spices of the time. And in the 5th century, the prophet Mohammed, from the merchant tribe of the Quora�chites, took advantage of the spice trade to spread his messages. People were more inclined to listen to what he had to say, given that he was selling irresistible spices.

Spices in the Middle Ages
From the 10th century on, the crusades prompted a rediscovery of spices; seasonings made an obvious comeback to the tables of the great and powerful European courts. Brought to the Mediterranean basin by Italian ships, the "wealth of the Orient" was subsequently sold at market fairs to supply the Northern European countries. At this time, spiced wines from Italy and Spain were very popular.

Certain spices were worth so much that one of them even became currency: pepper. In court, litigants bribed judges with spices. A prototype of sugared almonds, some spices were covered in honey in order to disguise them as candy. Their culinary and medicinal uses overlapped, and grocers and apothecarists often worked in the same companies. Besides traditional black pepper, some of the other prized spices of the era were long pepper from Sumatra, ginger, cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg, and galanga (a ginger-like spice from Southeast Asia).

European Navigators Set Sail
As with any great discovery, the opening of the Southern seaboard spice route was no accident. Portuguese navigators and geographers had been working at it for over a half-century. Henry the navigator, who encouraged exploration of the African coast, was the most famous of them.

Christopher Columbus set sail in 1492 to head West and find gold and spices, hoping to hit the Indian coast where these precious commodities could be found. Controlling and supplying the spice market were key objectives for the Portuguese and Spanish powers at the time in their goal to overturn the Arab and Venetian monopoly in the Mediterranean.

Vasco de Gama crossed the Cape of Good Hope in 1497 and arrived in India in 1498. The Arab merchants were shocked to see a Portuguese man on Indian shores. "We are looking for Christians and spices," stated the Portuguese navigator, and with that, the Arabs saw their monopoly crumble. In the centuries to follow, often the country with the strongest navy was able to gain dominion over the areas where spices originated. The Spanish, Portuguese, Dutch, and British empires all enjoyed leading roles in running the trade routes for a time. In fact, the last of these great spice monopolies, the Dutch, remained in existence until the outbreak of World War II.

In the late 17th century, America benefited indirectly from the spice trade. Boston-born Elihu Yale grew up in England, where he worked as a clerk for the British East India Company, which held a monopoly on all trade with India. The company's ships brought the first cargo of nutmeg and cloves from the Moluccas Islands in Indonesia. Yale eventually became governor of Madras, India, and his spice fortune helped endow Yale University.

But the economic value of these products declined as farming sites increased. The Dutch jealously protected access to the Moluccas for fear of seeing their clove and nutmeg trees exported to other regions, which would have ruined their monopoly. Thievery of this sort was punishable by death. After many attempts, a few pepper and nutmeg trees were successfully transplanted on Mauritius Island. This eventually led to a dispersion of plant production sites across Dutch, English, and French colonial empires, which involved spices in addition to coffee, cocoa, and many other plants. The tight reins on the industry were loosening.

And what about Columbus? He certainly didn't make it to India, nor did he find the spices he was looking for, but he did stumble upon some significant additions to the world's cuisine. His exploration of the Caribbean islands, and others following his footsteps like Hern�n Cort�s in Mexico, uncovered bold new flavors that have become favorites all over the globe: familiar names like red pepper (which we know today as a wide variety of chiles), vanilla, and allspice.

America Joins the Trade
In the late 18th and 19th centuries, Americans became directly involved in the spice business as the sleek clipper ships of New England began to dominate world trade. So many pepper voyages were undertaken from New England to Sumatra that the price of pepper dropped to less than three cents a pound in 1843, a disastrous slump that affected many aspects of American business.

Ultimately the New England spice trade fell off sharply when piracy in the Java and China Seas made long voyages for pepper too dangerous. Meanwhile, the American spice business, like the rest of the country, was moving west. In 1835, American settlers in Texas developed chili powder by combining various ground red peppers from Mexico, thus adding new dimensions to American taste. Later, once the gold rush had subsided, herbs were grown commercially in California. Mustard seed was grown in North Dakota, Montana, and Canada's prairie provinces.

The name spice is derived from the word species, which was applied to groups of exotic foodstuffs in the Middle Ages. Aromatically scented herbal products have been used since ancient times to flavor foods and for preparing incenses and perfumes. Exotic imports obtained from Asia were particularly appealing to Greeks and Romans, who spent vast fortunes on trade with Arabia, which was the center of the spice trade. Rare spices were utilized in cooking as a sign of wealth in Rome, and later in Medieval and Renaissance times, and the privileged developed an exaggerated taste for spicy foods. The need to supply European markets spurred explorations, culminating in the extraordinary voyages that resulted in the discovery of the New World and demonstrated that the globe could be circumnavigated by sea. The fabled Spice Islands of Indonesia became the site of horrendous colonial practices by competing European powers. The desire to control spice sources took the British to India, the Portuguese to Brazil, the Spanish to Central and South America and to the Philippines, the French to Africa, and the Dutch to Indonesia. However, each country feuded with others to establish a monopolistic control over the spice-growing regions and the major trade routes.

Today, many of the valued old spices, such as nutmeg, have lost their fabulous attraction, while the more lowly garlic, peppers and other commonplace kitchen herbs have become, paradoxically, increasingly popular. It is now impossible to give a strict definition of a spice: the word suggests an imported tropical herbal plant or some part of it that is valued for providing color and aromatic flavoring along with stimulating odor for use in cooking and in condiments, as well as in candies, cosmetics, fragrances and medications. A host of such products utilize spicy herbs varying from ajowan and aniseed to wasabi and zedoary. Indeed, the term spice could include chocolate, coffee, kola nuts, tea, wine and olive oil, since these mouthwatering delicacies are generally imported from tropical or sunny countries into the more temperate countries of northern Europe and North America to give a zestful taste to food products and beverages.

Spices can improve the palatability and the appeal of dull diets or spoiled food. Piquant flavors stimulate salivation and promote digestion. Pungent spices can cause sweating, which may even cause a cooling sensation in tropical climates; on the other hand they can add a sense of inner warmth when present in cooked foods used in cold climates. Local and inexpensive herbs and flavors, such as garlic, onion and horseradish, sufficed for the poorer people of old Europe, but influential, rich hosts would wish to impress or politically intimidate their guests with the liberal use of rare exotic spices. These expensive imports could be added in large amounts and in complex mixtures to each course and to accompanying alcoholic beverages to provide a gustatory statement about the wealth, power and initiative of the host. Thus, spices served to make a political statement when a baronial lord invited possible rivals to an expensive display of profligacy at a sumptuous banquet.

Spices also fitted into philosophic concepts of improving health, since it was understood that they could affect the four humors (blood, phlegm, yellow bile and black bile) and influence the corresponding moods (sanguine, phlegmatic, choleric and melancholic). Thus, ginger would be used to heat the stomach and improve digestion; clove was believed to comfort the sinews; mace would prevent colic and bloody fluxes or diarrhea; nutmeg would benefit the spleen and relieve any bad cold. Cinnamon, one of the most popular flavors in cooking, was considered to be particularly good for digestion and for sore throats. Hot pungent spices were used more liberally in winter diets or to treat �cold� diseases accompanied by excess phlegm. It is noteworthy that rheumatism was believed to be caused by abnormal �rheum�, or phlegm; the appropriate therapy would be pepper � just as it is today, with the topical use of capsaicin, a chile pepper extract.

Spices, along with salt, would have been incorporated in mixtures to pickle and preserve meats; the pungent spices were useful for relieving the salty taste of such foods. Aromatic spices, such as cloves, cardamon and mint, would be useful to disguise the foul breath of onion and garlic eaters who were likely to have additional halitosis from caries and gingivitis. Burnt spices or incenses could be used to help counteract the malodors that were prevalent in rich homes that lacked sanitary mechanisms for the disposition of excreta and rotting foods. Some spices, such as pepper and cinnamon, do have antimicrobial properties, but their reputation as food preservatives is unwarranted.

One fascinating tribute to the value of spices, such as peppercorn, was their acceptance in medieval times as a substitute for money; thus, some landlords would be paid a �peppercorn rent�. Conquerers would accept spice stores as booty or as a victory tax. The flow of pepper along trade routes provided opportunities for trade taxes to be imposed at major trading cities by Arabians, Egyptians, Turks and Venetians. The increasing custom duties in the 15th century resulted in a 30-fold rise in the price of Indian pepper, at a time when the social desire for pepper and other exotic spices was maximal. Changes in pepper prices had an effect on national economies and on aggressive reactions comparable to that seen in the Western appetite for fuel oil today.

Chocolate pods at one time were so valued that they also were used as the equivalent of money by Aztecs. The excessive value of spices in Europe is revealed by the fact that Magellan�s circumnavigation of the globe started with five ships which were supplied to last their 250 or so crew members for many months; the expedition limped home with only one ship and an emaciated crew of 18 surviving men who returned to Spain in 1522 after their three-year horrendous expedition. Despite their enormous losses, the incredibly valuable cargo of 50,000 pounds of cloves and nutmegs from the Moluccas made the enterprise seem like a commercial success.

Ground spices - 3 years
Whole spices - 4 years 
  Herbs: 1-3 years 
 Seeds: 4 years, except poppy seeds and sesame seeds: 2 years 
 Extracts: 4 years, except vanilla extract, which has an unlimited shelf life 
  Seasoning blends/mixes: 1-2 years 
  How to Optimize Freshness 
� Spices and herbs that are whole maintain their freshness longer than those that are ground. 
� Spices and herbs do not spoil but they do lose their strength. Old and weak seasonings will not deliver the taste they should. 
� Spices and herbs will keep for a long time if they are stored in airtight bottles. The shelf life of properly stored spices and herbs is approximately 4 years for whole spices, 2-3 years for ground spices and 1-3 years for leafy herbs, depending on the herb. 
� There are three checks to use when verifying freshness--look, smell and taste. A visual check for color fading is a good indicator of flavor loss. Taste and smell your spices and herbs; if a fresh odor or taste is not apparent, they need to be replaced. 
� Do not sprinkle spices and herbs directly from the bottle over a steaming pot. Steam introduced into the bottle will hasten the loss of flavor and aroma. Steam will also result in caking of contents. 
� Make sure your measuring spoon is completely dry when you dip it into the bottle. Moisture introduced into the bottle will also result in caking and flavor loss.

� Ground spices release their flavor more quickly than whole spices. Ground spices such as ground thyme or ground cumin can be used in recipes with short cooking times or can be added near the end of cooking for longer cooking recipes. 
� Whole spices need a longer time to release their flavor. They work well in longer cooking recipes like soups and stews. 
� Robust herbs such as sage, thyme and bay leaves stand up well in long cooking while milder herbs like basil, marjoram and parsley can be added at the last minute for best results.
 
� Rub leafy herbs in the palm of your hand to release the flavor and aroma. 
� To double a recipe, increase spices and herbs by one and one-half, TASTE and then add more if necessary. In most recipes one and one-half times the seasoning will be sufficient to provide desired flavor. 
� Spices such as fennel seed, cumin seed, sesame seed and white peppercorns may be toasted to intensify their flavors. Simply add the spice to a dry, non-stick, heated skillet and heat until aromatic. 
� Whole spices and seeds may be best ground using a small electric coffee grinder or spice mill. A pepper mill or mortar and pestle may also be used.

European countries over the last two thousand five hundred years have found the allure of spices to be irresistible. The wide prevalence of garlic, onions and chives, radishes, mustard and horseradish, and the availability in Mediterranean countries of herbs such as mint, thyme, basil and saffron, made these well distributed flavors seem less appealing to the sophisticated taste buds of the more wealthy. The Romans, and then the Portugese, Dutch, and finally the British, were attracted to India by a persisting appetite for pungent peppercorns (the source of yellow and black pepper). Major importing countries came to appreciate the other curry spices of India, such as cardamon, turmeric, ginger, and cloves, while the British greatly overextended their welcome by staying on for tea. To this day, the British involvement in India is symbolized on every dining table by the presence of salt and pepper; the British came for pepper, but left when Gandhi aroused his country by symbolically flouting the tax on salt. Perhaps a cup of tea at the end of the meal emphasizes a more lasting value of the British interaction with India.

China and its neighboring countries supplied cassia, cinnamon, licorice, rhubarb and sugar. Coffee originally came from Yemen; chocolate as well as tomatos from Central America and the Yucatan; chile peppers in addition to potatos from Bolivia and Peru. The allure of trade for the valuable spices that could be transported successfully over vast distances was spurred by an increasing appetite in Europe for new spicy culinary experiences. The desire to monopolize major spices and the need to control the profitable sea routes were the driving forces that led to many of the dramatic events of history during the past 2000 years.

In ancient times, Arabia, Syria and Egypt provided well-organized marketing sites along the major recognized spice routes from which Asiatic spices were sent on their final land or sea journeys to the great spice ports of Europe, such as La Spezia, Venice and Genoa in Italy, Seville in Spain, Lisbon in Portugal, and the major port cities of England, Belgium and Holland.

The most important of the exotic spices in Medieval Europe was Asian pepper; this could be transported, stored and traded as peppercorns without any loss in its taste. The great growth of the pepper trade in Europe that occurred between the 12th and the 16th centuries was controlled by Venetian importers, and their enormous income led to the richness of Venice and its prominent role in the patronage of the arts of the Renaissance.

Extraordinary efforts were often made to mislead merchants as to the source of origin of spices, but it was gradually realized that the most uniquely desired flavors came from the indigenous plants of the Moluccas, or Spice Islands, where cloves and nutmeg grew. The Portugese, Dutch and British each tried to establish spice monopolies in these coveted islands. Eventually, French and other adventurers were able to transplant many precious spice plants to other sites. Currently, nutmegs are grown in Grenada in the Caribbean, and in Madagascar. More cloves are produced in Zanzibar than in Indonesia, where they now need to be imported to meet the demands of manufacturers of the popular kretek clove cigarettes.

It is noteworthy that some spices have moved in the opposite direction, and have been transplanted into Africa and Asia from the New World. Thus, the fiery hot chiles that are so characteristic in the cooking of India, China and other countries of the Far East were imported and established there following the 16th century exploration of the New World of the Americas where these peppers are native. Similarly, mustard and coriander were imported into Asia from Europe, where they were so commonplace; they then became important culinary flavors in Indian, Chinese, Thai, Vietnamese and other ethnic cooking of the Orient. Chocolate was transplanted from Mexico to Africa, but it was developed as a confectionary by the Europeans, including the Swiss who popularized milk chocolate.

One spice, licorice, which is very popular in China, is largely unknown in the U.S., where so-called licorice candy is usually made of molasses and corn oil with anise or fennel flavoring and artificial coloration. On the other hand, so-called cinnamon is often an inferior related spice, cassia; both are marketed as sticks of bark that are currently harvested from trees in Sri Lanka and many other countries. Variants of common spices are numerous: thus, the �peppers� include peppercorn, black and yellow pepper, chiles, cayenne pepper, long pepper, paprika, bell pepper, grains of Paradise (African melegueta), cubeb, allspice (pimento), and Szechuan pepper (anise pepper).

5000 BC Middle East Evidence of spices being used 
3000 Egypt Use of spices in embalming 
2000 Arabia Monopoly of spice trade (for 2000+ years) 
1500 Egypt Queen Hathepshut imports spices from Punt (East Africa) 
1000 Palestine Use of spices in anointing oil and incenses 
992 Arabia Queen of Sheba brings spices to King Solomon 
500 Greece Importance of spices in diet as medicine 
200 China Cloves imported from Spice Islands 
1st Century AD Rome Extravagant use of spices 
  Rome Developed sea-trade with India; lasted 3 centuries 
500 Europe Spices from Moluccan Islands available 
  Arabia Controlled spice trade until Middle Ages 
1100 Europe Crusades stimulated interest in spices 
1200 England Guild of Pepperers established; merged with Spicers 
1250 Europe Spices regarded as aphrodisiacs 
1300 Italy Marco Polo�s book stimulates interest in Oriental spices 
1350 Europe Spices used as medicines & fumigants during Black Death  
  Italy Venice and Genoa control spice trade 
1400 England Spicers� Guild became Grocer�s Company 
  Portugal Henry the Navigator stimulates sea discoveries 
1450 Turkey Controls spices; forced other sea route discoveries 
  Spain Columbus finds spices in Caribbean islands 
1500 Portugal Controls spice trade after Vasco da Gama sails to India 
1521 Spain Magellan�s expedition circumnavigates the globe 
  Italy Venice�s spice wealth helps finance Renaissance 
1550 England Drake circumnavigates globe; imports spices into England 
1600 Holland Gradually wrests Spice Islands from Portugal 
  Spain Competes for spice trade 
1650 Holland Controls spice trade from East Indies 
    Creates artificial shortage of Spice Island products 
1700 Ceylon Coffee trees planted; later, grown in Brazil 
  Europe Coffee, chocolate and tobacco favored over spices 
1750 France Peter Poivre brings nutmegs and cloves to Mauritius and Reunion 
  Holland Destroys spices to try and create price increases 
1800 England Take over Spice Islands, briefly 
  America Pepper trade with East Indies makes millionaires in Salem, MA 
1850 Europe Spices are of decreasing significance 
    Sugar becomes favored flavor 
1900 World Dietary fashions change; spices decrease in importance

The heady aromas of expensive, exotic spices ensured that they would offer a voluptuously stimulating environment for invigoration of romantic encounters. In the Old Testament's the Song of Solomon, Proverbs and Psalms romantic verses extolled the sensory excitement offered by cinnamon, calamus, myrrh, saffron and other perfumed smells from fragrant spices. In Greece and Rome, spices were included in antidotes against poisons and venoms but their potent, life-restoring virtues earned them a heady reputation of being essential every-night aphrodisiacs; indeed, in Rome the word cinnamon was equivalent to the current use of "sweetheart" or "darling". The Romans also embraced the phytochemical concept of the biblical lover's spicy enticement: "Make haste, my beloved, and be thou like to a roe, or to a young hart, upon the mountains of spices." (Song of Solomon 8,14); "I have perfumed my bed with myrrh, aloes and cinnamon. Come let us take our fill of love till morning." (Proverbs 7, 17-18). The Arabs had their "Perfumed Garden" and the Hindus their "Kama Sutra", each of which extolled favored spices such as nutmeg, cloves, galangal, cardamon and ginger, while the Romans came to favor cinnamon and pepper, and the Chinese were most impressed with ginger.

Over the years, spices have offered the luxury of intriguing tastes, impressive incenses and delightful perfumes, and, as tools of the rich, they have always been included in recipes for improving sexual potency. It is of interest that the equivalent of the multi-herb antidote against all poisons that was concocted by King Mithridates VI, who ruled over ancient Turkey , is still on sale in a modern reformulation in that country (See section on Medical Use of Spices). It now carries suggestive names such as "Sultan's Paste".

Proprietary luxuries of this type, that consist of several dozen herbs and spices, are currently promoted as aphrodisiacs and tonics rather than as antidotes against poisoning, or as incenses, for appeasing the gods in religious ceremonies. Undoubtedly, spicy versions of these recipes that served the ancient pagan gods such as Priapus, Cupid, Venus, Eros, Pan and of course Aphrodite (the goddess who arose from sea foam - "aphros") continue to work their historic magic. Modern romances are catalyzed by spices and herbs which are called upon to provide symbolic and sensory support in luxurious perfumes, heady scents, and sensual aromatic cream or oil massages. However, it is of interest that the most appreciated of current aphrodisiacs is undoubtedly the New World's Aztec "food of the gods", the meso-American spice chocolate rather than the ancient and historic spices of Arabia and the Orient.

The essential oils and terpenoid alcohols of spices contribute to their smell, taste and tactile sensation. Thus, eugenol is found in cinnamon, clove and pimento; one of its medical qualities is a local anesthetic effect, which is utilized in dentistry. Menthol, from mints, has a cooling effect as well as a characteristic fresh taste and smell. Anise contains anethole, cinnamon produces cinnamaldehyde, mace contains myristin, and so on; all have specific pharmacologic effects that are generally mild. However, some - such as myristicin - are more potent, and large doses can result in harmful effects such as hallucinations.

A number of spice chemicals are shared with herbs and flowers. It is noteworthy that colorful flowers result in an experience of exciting color and smell, whereas most spices result in excitatory sensations of taste and smell without being particularly stimulating to the visual sense. There are some exceptions, including the crocus which is the source of saffron, and edible flowers such as nasturtium which can spice up a salad. Similarly, chile peppers and radishes can be visually exciting, whereas cinnamon bark and cardamon seeds are relatively dowdy.

The following spices have had a long reputation of having aphrodisiacal properties.

Asafetida This has a foul smell, but in small amounts it can provide a sensual taste or smell. The same phenomenon applies to musk oil (from the musk ox) and castoreum (from the beaver), and perhaps to the secretions of the civet cat and the skunk: these agents can give a salty, animalistic, deeply erotic fragrant quality to a perfume when suitably diluted. 
Cardamon is popular in India and in Arabic cultures, and used to be employed by the Chinese court to give users a fragrant breath. 
Cloves and some other spices and herbs contain eugenol; its smell is fragrant and aromatic, and has long been considered as enhancing sexual feelings. 
Ginger contains gingerols, zingiberene and other characteristic agents that have made it a favored seductive flavor in Asiatic and Arabic herbal traditions. 
Mace and Nutmeg contain myristicin and similar compounds that are related to mescalin. In larger doses, nutmeg and mace can cause hallucinations, whereas in smaller amounts they are traditional aphrodisiacs. 
Pepper from India contains piperine: this pungent agent can stimulate sexual function, according to ancient beliefs. 
Saffron contains picrocrocin which is alleged to have the ability to cause erotic sensations. 
Vanilla contains the widely loved vanillin, whose taste and smell conjure up romantic feelings in the appropriate circumstances.

Other popular herbs that have been reported to have aphrodisiacal properties include garlic, mint, rosemary, sage and thyme. All these allegedly erotically stimulating agents have long been incorporated into cooking, incenses, rubs and other romantic sources for stimulation of sexual feeling. More recently, these and other herbs are utilized creatively in numerous massage oils and in incenses that are popularly utilized to improve sensations as a new-old form of therapy, with the modern title of aromatherapy.

Numerous herbs have been classified as spices, but currently many are grown so readily that they are seen as common food flavors rather than aromatic spices. The alliacious herbs � garlic, onion, shallot and chive � could be regarded as both foods and flavors, while radish, daikon, watercress and other pungent leaves and flowers are used as salad flavors. Mustard, horseradish and salsas containing chiles are used as condiments, while peppers, capers, fermented fruits (including grape juice), mango and vegetables are used as pickles or chutneys. Thus, herbs such as marjoram, oregano, basil, mint, parsley, sage, tarragon, thyme, savory, rosemary, sesame, poppy seeds, bay leaves and celery seeds could be considered as flavorful culinary ingredients, as fragrant herbal medicines or as inexpensive, easily grown spices.

Perhaps all flavorful herbs that are used in food preparation and for modifying disease states or improving specific aspects of health need a special classification as �spicy herbs�. This would exclude other comparable spice-like products such as orange peel, juniper berries, anchovy paste, pungent honeys, flavorful vinegars, perfumy agents such as myrrh and rose water, fashionable cooking oils, exotic fruits, and unusual items that are used parochially in different parts of the world � such as ajowan, annatto, lemon grass and asafetida.

Most spicy herbs do have traditional medical values. All could be regarded as digestants, carminatives (which help remove excess air from the stomach) and bowel function improvers. Many are used in aromatherapy as topical agents that improve skin condition and result in pleasurable sensations such as relaxation or calmness. Some may be used as incenses or room air fresheners, or be incorporated in cosmetics and body lotions, both for their pleasant sensory qualities and for possible healing properties. A few herbs, such as mint (containing menthol), basil, thyme and sage, are often used to treat pharyngitis, coughs and bronchitis, and they are likely to be used in combination with medical herbal extracts from eucalyptus, camphor, benzoin, aloes and so on.

Culinary herbs thus span the continuum between foods, medicines and exotica, and therefore they rightly earn their place in the spice section in markets and in either the spice rack or bathroom cabinet (or both!) at home.

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