Spices and uses

Clove Eugenia caryophyllus
Clove is the most important spice in Zanzibar export, cultived in Unguja as well as in Pemba. Every single tree is counted in a census. It is native to north Moluccas, Indonesia and cultivated also in Brazil, West Indies, Mauritius, Madagascar, India, Sri Lanka.
They are used in a number of spice mixtures including ras el hanout, curry powders, mulling spices and pickling spices and to flavour the tea's water.
Medicinal Properties: Cloves contain an oil composed mostly of Eugenol, a very strong antiseptic. Compounded with zinc oxide, it has been used in dentistry as a temporary tooth filling. It is a strong stimulant and carminative also used to treat nausea, indigestion and dyspepsia.

Cardamom Elettaria cardamomum
Cardamom is one of the world's ancient spices. Native to India, is today cultivated also in Tanzania, Zanzibar, Sri Lanka, Guatemala, Indo China.
Cardamom is an expensive spice, second only to saffron. It is often adulterated and there are many inferior substitutes from cardamom-related plants, such as Siam cardamom, Nepal cardamom, winged Java cardamom, and bastard cardamom. However, only Elettaria cardamomum is the true cardamom. Indian cardamom is known in two main varieties: Malabar cardamom and Mysore cardamom. The latest variety contains higher levels of cineol and limonene and hence is more aromatic.
Cardamom is used mainly in the Near and Far East. It features in curries, in pilaus rice dishes and gives character to pulse dishes. It is often included in Indian sweet dishes and drinks and used by arabs to flavour the turkish coffee, served with an elaborate ritual.
Medicinal Properties: stimulant and carminative. It is used since ancient time as a digestive. A medicinal cordial can be made by macerating seeds in hot water.

Cinnamon Cinnamomum zeylanicum
Cinnamon is the inner bark of a tropical evergreen tree. There are many different species but the two main varieties are Cinnamomum cassia and Cinnamomum zeylanicum. The latest one, zeylanicum, is also known as Ceylon cinnamon (from its latin name source zeylanicum) or "true cinnamon" which has a lighter colour and a sweeter, more delicate flavour than cassia.
Cassia and cinnamon have similar uses, but since it is more delicate, cinnamon is used more in dessert dishes. IIt is common in many Middle Eastern and North African dishes, in flavouring lamb tagines or stuffed aubergines. It is used in curries and pilaus and in garam masala. It may be used to spice mulled wines, creams and syrups. The largest importer of Sri Lankan cinnamon is Mexico, where it is drunk with coffee and chocolate and brewed as a tea.
Medicinal Properties: mildly carminative and used to treat nausea, flatulence, diarrhea. The essential oil has anti-fungal and anti-bacterial properties.

Cumin Cuminum cyminum
Cumin is native to Levant and Upper Egypt. It now grows in most hot countries, especially India, North Africa, China and Americas. It is mostly used where highly spiced foods are preferred as an ingredient of curries powders and spice mixtures. Mexicans use it in chili sauces, portuguese to spices sausages, dutch and german to spice and smoke cheese. The spice is especially associated with Morocco as it features as ingredient of its national dish, the couscous. Zeera pani is a refreshing and appetising indian drink made from cumin and tamarind water. Cumin together with caraway flavours Kummel, the famous German liquer. Historically, Cumin was known to the Egyptians five millennia ago. Romans and Greeks used it medicinally and cosmetically to induce a pallid complexion.
Medicinal Properties:cumin is stomachic, diuretic, carminative, stimulant, astringent, emmenagogic and antispasmodic. It is valuable in dyspepsia diarrhoea and hoarseness, and may relieve flatulence and colic. In the West, it is now used mainly in veterinary medicine, as a carminative, but it remains a traditional herbal remedy in the East: to stimulate appetite, to increase lactation and reduce nausea in pregnancy, to relief swelling of the breast or of testicles or hiccups if smoked in a pipe with ghee.

Ginger Zingiber officinale
Ginger is native to India and China.It has been important in Chinese medicine for many centuries and mentioned in Confucius writings. It is also named in the Koran, the sacred book of the Moslems, indicating it was known in Arab countries as far back as 650 A.D. It was one of the earliest spice known in Western Europe, used since the IX century. It became so popular in Europe that it was included in every table setting, like salt and pepper. A common article of medieval and Renaissance trade, it was one of the spices used against the plague. In English pubs and taverns in the IXX century, barkeepers put out small containers of ground ginger, for people to sprinkle into their beer: the origin of ginger ale.
Medicinal Properties:ginger is a known diaphoretic, meaning it causing one to sweat. It was recorded that Henry VIII instructed the mayor of London to use ginger's diaphoretic qualities as a plaque medicine. It is also carminative, which means that it helps break up intestinal gas. It has been used as a remedy for congestion in the form of a compress for either the sinuses or the chest. It is often used as an adjunct to other remedies for general tonic or stimulant purposes, or as purgative to prevent griping. In the kama sutra it is described as an aphrodisiac.

Lemon Grass Cymbopogon ciatrus
Lemon Grass is a tall tropical grass with long thick leaves. The fresh stalks and leaves have a clean lemonlike odour because they contain an oil which is also present in lemon peel.
Culinary Uses
Lemon grass features in Indonesian, Malaysian, Sri Lankan and Indian cooking and is widely used to savour dishes and meat, poultry, seafood and vegetable curries. It harmonizes well with coconut milk, especially with chicken or seafood. The stems are also used in teas or in flavouring marinades.
medicinal properties:the grass is considered a diuretic, tonic and stimulant. It promotes good digestion and a preparation of lemon grass with pepper has been used for relief of menstrual troubles and nausea. It induces perspiration, to cool the body and reduce a fever. It is well known as a mild insect repellent (citronella) and the essential oil is used in perfumery.

Saffron Crocus sativus
Coming from the dried stigmas of the saffron crocus, it takes 75.000 blossoms or 225,000 hand-picked stigmas to make a single pound which explains why it is the world's most expensive spice. Native to the Mediterranean, saffron is now imported primarily from Spain, where Moslems introduced it in the IXX century along with rice and sugar. Valencia coup is generally considered the best, though Kashmir now rivals this reputation. Saffron is also cultivated in India, Turkey, China and Iran. The name comes from the Arabic word zafaran meaning yellow. Its colouring properties are known since the dawn of civilization and it has been used in both cooking and textile for millennia. In India its colour is considered the epitome of beauty and is the official colour of Buddhist priests. In the imperial Rome it was used to scent baths and public halls. In middle age it was mixed with ink and used in the writing of prayers and magic formulae. Saffron appears in Moorish, Asian and Mediterranean cuisines. It flavour and colour festive pilaus dishes in India, in Italy its a basic ingredient of "risotto alla Milanese", one of the most famous of Italian rice dishes. It combines well with fish and seafood, famous as a key ingredient of Spanish paella as well as bouillabaisse.
medicinal properties:It has been recognized of value as an antispasmodic, diaphoretic, carminative, emmenagogic and sedative.
Large dosages can be fatal.

Vanilla Vanilla fragrans
Along with saffron and cardamom, vanilla is the worlds next most expensive spice, belonging to the familia of Orchidaceae.
Vanilla is native to Mexico and was used by the Aztecs toflavour their royal drink xocolatl - a mixture of cocoa beans, vanilla and honey. Cortez brought vanilla back to Europe in the XVI century. It has many non-culinary uses, including aromatizing perfumes, cigars and liqueurs. Europeans prefer to use the bean, while North Americans usually use the extract.
medicinal properties: Aztecs considered vanilla an aphrodisiac. Today it is rarely used for any medicinal purposes other than as a pharmaceutical flavouring.