You can purchase
Sri Roasted Spice Mix
at these Santa Cruz locations:

Coriander

Like other spices, coriander is available throughout the year, providing a fragrant flavor that is reminiscent of both citrus peel and sage.

The fruit of the coriander plant contains two seeds which, when dried, are the portions used as the dried spice. When ripe, the seeds are yellowish-brown in color with longitudinal ridges. Coriander seeds are available whole or in ground powder form.

Health Benefits

Coriander seeds have a health-supporting reputation that is high on the list of the healing spices. In parts of Europe, coriander has traditionally been referred to as an “anti-diabetic” plant. In parts of India, it has traditionally been used for its anti-inflammatory properties. In the United States, coriander has recently been studied for its cholesterol-lowering effects.

Control of Blood Sugar, Cholesterol and Free Radical Production

Recent research studies (though still on animals) have confirmed all three of these healing effects. When coriander was added to the diet of diabetic mice, it helped stimulate their secretion of insulin and lowered their blood sugar. When given to rats, coriander reduced the amount of damaged fats (lipid peroxides) in their cell membranes. And when given to rats fed a high-fat, high-cholesterol diet, coriander lowered levels of total and LDL (the "bad" cholesterol), while actually increasing levels of HDL (the “good” cholesterol). Research also suggests that the volatile oils found in the leaves of the coriander plant, commonly known as cilantro, may have antimicrobial properties.

Cardamom

Cardamom, sometimes called Grains of Paradise, is a pungent, aromatic herb first used around the eighth century, and is a native of India. It was probably imported into Europe around ad 1214.

Today, cardamom is cultivated in India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Guatemala, Mexico, Thailand and Central America.

The spice known as cardamom is the fruit of several plants of the genus Elettaria belonging to the family Zingiberaceae, whose principal member is Elletaria cardamomum. The plant itself is a perennial herb with a thick, fleshy rootstock which sends up flowering stems from 6 to 12 feet high.

Cardamom is usually purchased either in seed pods or in its “decorticated” form, that is, taken out of the seed pods and ground into a powder. The last is the most common form in which cardamom is sold.

Cardamom is used in a variety of cuisines today, primarily in and around the Indian subcontinent and in Scandinavia.

Cumin

Cumin is indigenous to most parts of Asia, Mexico and South America. It is often used as a culinary herb in these parts of the world. Ayurveda also cites many uses for this herb as a cure for many ailments.

Cumin can either be ground, roasted, added to foods whole or boiled in water to treat many common ailments. It is used alone or in combination with other herbs and or with rock salt or sugar to treat many illnesses.

Cumin for the Teeth and Mouth

Roasted cumin seeds can be eaten freshen the breath. Chewing roasted cumin seeds can also heal soars in the mouth and reduce excess saliva.

Cumin for the Urinary System

Boiling a teaspoon of cumin in a glass of water to make a tea cures problems in the urinary tract, cleans the bladder and kidneys.

Cumin and fenugreek when combined together also help to keep the prostate healthy and reduce problems in the male and female reproductive organs and urinary systems.

Cumin for Fatigue
and General Aches and Pains

A teaspoon of cumin boiled in water reduces pain in the body and acts as a natural sleep aid for those who have difficulty falling asleep.

Cumin for Women

Cumin tea is very useful for pregnant women during the last month of pregnancy as it helps to ready the uterus for labor and makes for an easier delivery.

Cumin, fennel and fenugreek help to support the female system during menstruation and menopause.

Cumin for the Common Cold

Cumin tea can be drunk to reduce the symptoms of common cold and sore throat. Cumin helps to remove excess phlegm and is thus good taken during allergy season or at the onset of a cold.

Cumin for the Digestive
and Immune Systems

Cumin helps to regulate bowel function and can help to stop diarrhea by eating it with a bit of sugar candy.

Cumin and fennel combined in equal parts and chewed or boiled as a tea help to promote digestion.

Combined with turmeric and peppercorn it becomes a very good digestive aid and immune booster.

Cumin can be chewed after a meal to promote digestion and reduce stomachache.

Cloves

Cloves are the most stimulating and carminative of all aromatics; given in powder, infusion, or tonic for nausea, emesis, flatulence, languid indigestion and dyspepsia, and used chiefly to assist the action of other herbs.

The medicinal properties of cloves reside in the volatile oil. This oil must be kept in dark bottles in a cool place.

If distilled with water, salt must be added to raise the temperature of ebullition and the same cloves must be distilled over and over again to get their full essence.

There are two constituents of clove oil: caryophyllene and eugenol.

Cloves (Eugenia aromaticus) are actually the dried buds of the clove tree. Used in China for more than 2000 years, cloves are believed to be an aphrodisiac. We do know that clove oil is a time-honored remedy for toothache, and that clove oil is highly antiseptic.

Cloves are also used to stop vomiting.

“The clove herb keeps food fresh because the main active component of cloves is eugenol, which has long been known to help kill bacteria and viruses,” says Gary Elmer, PhD, associate professor of medicinal chemistry at the University of Washington School of Pharmacy in Seattle.

By killing bacteria, eugenol helps keep meat fresh and prevents stomach upset, diarrhea, and wound infections.

Healing Uses and Benefits
of Cloves

Mouth care: Clove oil is suggested for toothaches, and can help freshen breath.You may have tasted the sweet-hot flavor of clove oil in over-the-counter toothache medicines.

Relieves indigestion: The herb’s usefulness in supporting normal digestive system function has yet to be confirmed in humans, but laboratory studies indicate that it may be effective.

Controls diarrhea: An ingredient in clove fights the bacteria responsible for diarrhea-the ailment you get from drinking the water in regions where health standards are substandard.

Heals cuts and bites: Studies show that the oil in cloves can help kill several strains of staphylococcus bacteria and one strain of pseudomonas-organisms that can cause skin infections.

Fennel

Fennel belongs to the Apiaceae family of herbs that contains anise, caraway, celery, chervil, coriander, cumin, dill, and parsley. The fruit or seeds are greenish yellow-brown in color, and vary in size up to 3/8 inch (1 cm) long. The seeds are oval in shape, slightly curved with ridges. The grooved seeds can be used both for flavoring purposes as well as for medicinal purposes. The seeds can be used in bread, entrees, apple pie, vegetable dishes, and tomato-based sauces. The Spanish use fennel abundantly in their baking and cooking.

A tea can also be made from fennel seeds. The tea can be prepared by simmering two to three teaspoons of crushed seeds in a cup of hot water for 10-15 minutes. This refreshing tea is also considered a pleasant breath freshener. Fennel seeds are reasonably rich in the minerals, potassium and calcium.

Health-Promoting Properties

This popular family of culinary herbs is noted for the special flavors they impart to various foods. These herbs are unique in their content of phthalides, polyacetylenes, and couramins. These phytochemicals provide the consumer with protection against cancer.

Varied Uses

Fennel is a very popular herb with a long history of usage. In folk medicine, it was used to promote menstruation and to enhance lactation. The ancient Romans grew fennel for its aromatic seeds. Today, the pleasant flavor of fennel is used to mask the off-flavors of food, medicine, or herbal teas. Extracts of fennel also have antimicrobial activity against a number of bacteria (such as Staphylococcus and E. coli), fungi and yeasts (such as Candida). For centuries the seeds have been utilized to stimulate appetite and as a digestive carminative to help with flatulence, indigestion, and colic in children. It can also effectively reduce intestinal spasms. A preparation from fennel seeds is useful as a mild expectorant. It is effective in treating inflammation of the mucous membranes of the upper respiratory tract. It has been successfully used for treating cough and catarrh of the upper respiratory tract in children.

The two main constituents of the oil from fennel seeds are trans-anethole (sweet-tasting) and fenchone (a disagreeable bitter taste), along with some pleasant-smelling terpenoids. The relative proportions of these main constituents determine its overall sweetness or bitterness. Hence, the two varieties of fennel, bitter fennel and sweet fennel, differ in the composition of their seed oil. Sweet fennel contains significantly more anethole and less fenchone. Anethole and fenchone are known to possess expectorant properties, so that fennel is used to treat the fluid emissions of the respiratory tract.

In Germany, fennel seed is approved for treating digestive problems such as flatulence, and mild spasms of the gastrointestinal tract. Fennel stimulates gastrointestinal motility, and at high concentrations it is anti-spasmodic. Fennel is also used in cough syrups and to treat stomach problems. Fennel is also used as a fragrance in soaps and cosmetics.

Curry Leaves

Healing Power and Curative Properties

Curry leaves possess the qualities of an herbal tonic. They strengthen the functions of stomach and promote its action. They are also used as a mild laxative. The leaves may be taken mixed with other mild tasting herbs. The juice extracted from 15 grams of leaves may be taken with buttermilk.

Digestive Disorders

Fresh juice of curry leaves, with lime juice and sugar, is an effective medicine in the treatment of morning sickness, nausea and vomiting due to indigestion and excessive use of fats. One or two teaspoons of juice of these leaves mixed with a teaspoon of lime juice may be taken in these conditions. The curry leaves, ground to a fine paste and mixed with buttermilk, can also be taken on an empty stomach with beneficial results in case of stomach upsets.

Tender curry leaves are useful in diarrhea, dysentery and piles. They should be taken, mixed with honey. The bark of the tree is also useful in bilious vomiting. A teaspoon of the powder or the decoction of the dry bark should be given with cold water in this condition.

Diabetes

Eating ten fresh fully grown curry leaves every morning for three months is said to prevent diabetes due to heredity factors. It also cures diabetes due to obesity, as the leaves have weight-reducing properties. As the weight drops, the diabetic patients stop passing sugar in urine.

Kidney Disorders

The root of the curry plant also has medicinal properties. The juice of the root can be taken to relieve pain associated with the kidneys.

Premature Graying of Hair

Liberal intake of curry leaves is considered beneficial in preventing premature graying of hair. These leaves have the property to nourish the hair roots. New hair roots that grow are healthier with normal pigment. The leaves can be used in the form of chutney or the juice may be squeezed and taken in buttermilk or lassi.

Burns and Bruises

Curry leaves can be effectively used to treat burns, bruises and skin eruptions. They should be applied as a poultice over the affected areas.

Eye Disorders

Fresh juice of curry leaves suffused in the eyes makes them look bright. It also prevents the early development of cataract.

Insect Bites

Fruits of the tree, which are berries, are edible. They are green when raw, but purple when ripe. Juice of these berries, mixed with equal proportion of lime juice, is an effective fluid for external application in insect stings and bites of poisonous creatures.

Curry leaves have been used for centuries in South India as a natural flavoring agent in samber, rasam and curries. Chutney can be made by mixing the leaves with coriander leaves, coconut scrapings and tomatoes.

The leaves, bark and the root of the curry plant are used in indigenous medicine as a tonic, stimulant and anti-flatulent.