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Herbs and Herbal Remedies
Herbal
Books For a quick check list of
herbs & medicinal uses: herbal therapy
Star Anise
Here is a sample of herbs you might find useful for your herbal remedies.
more on
herbal therapy
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Basil is most commonly used fresh, and in cooked recipes, is generally added
at the last moment, as cooking destroys the flavour quickly. The fresh herb can
be kept for a short time in plastic bags in the refrigerator, or for a longer
period in the freezer, after being blanched quickly in boiling water. Place
fresh leaves in a dry jar with a pinch of salt, and cover with olive oil. The
dried herb also loses most of its flavour, and what little flavour remains
tastes very different, with a weak coumarin flavour, like hay.
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Cumin seeds have a distinctive bitter flavor and strong, warm
aroma due to their abundant essential oil content. Its main constituent and
important aroma compound is cuminaldehyde (4-isopropylbenzaldehyde). Important
aroma compounds of toasted cumin are the substituted pyrazines,
2-ethoxy-3-isopropylpyrazine, 2-methoxy-3-sec-butylpyrazine, and
2-methoxy-3-methylpyrazine. Their smell can also be detected in the eater's
sweat even after consuming only small amounts. Today, cumin is identified with
Indian cuisine and Mexican cuisine. It is used as an ingredient of curry powder.
Cumin can be found in some Dutch cheeses, and in some traditional breads from
France. In herbal medicine, cumin is classified as stimulant, carminative, and
antimicrobial.
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Young ginger roots are juicy and fleshy with a very mild
taste. They are often pickled in vinegar or sherry as a snack or just cooked as
an ingredient in many dishes. Mature ginger roots are fibrous and dry, and this
is what ours are. Powdered dry ginger or ground ginger is used to add spiciness to gingerbread
and other recipes. It tastes quite different from fresh ginger, and neither can
be substituted for the other. Ginger has a sialagogue action, stimulating the
production of saliva.
Star Anise
Star anise is a spice that closely resembles anise in flavor, obtained from
the star-shaped pericarp of Illicium verum, a native of N.E. China. It is widely
used in Chinese cuisine, and to a lesser degree in South Asia and Indonesia.
Star anise is an ingredient of the traditional five-spice powder of Chinese
cooking. The seeds are sometimes chewed after meals to aid digestion. Star anise
has been used in a tea as a remedy for colic and rheumatism.
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The nutmegs Myristica are a genus of evergreen trees
indigenous to tropical southeast Asia and Australasia. They are important for
two spices derived from the fruit, nutmeg and mace. Nutmeg is the actual seed of
the tree, roughly egg-shaped and about 20-30 mm long and 15-18 mm wide, while
mace is the dried "lacy" reddish covering of the seed. Several other commercial
products are also produced from the trees, including essential oils, extracted
oleoresins, and nutmeg butter (see below).
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Herbal Remedies
Herbal
Books
Star Anise
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