Chumley Stella's Spice 'N Easy Spice Information Spice Encyclopedia Medicinal Spices Spice Dictionary

Paprika (Capiscum annuum)
Paprika is the dried, ground pods of Capsicum annum, a sweet red pepper and
member of the nightshade family. It is an excellent source of beta-carotene,
which the body converts to vitamin A. It has it has a higher content of Vitamin C
than citrus fruit, but the vitamin C is degraded during the pepper's drying
process. It is a known coloring agent and zoos feed it to flamingos to help keep
their plumage vibrant. Paprika can be sweet or hot.
Its main purpose is to add colour. If a food item is coloured red, orange or
reddish brown and the label lists ‘Natural Colour’, it is likely paprika.
Curative Qualities: Fresh red peppers have more than seven times as much
vitamin C as oranges, but the very high heat of modern drying destroys much of
the vitamin C in paprika. It is however, an excellent source of betacarotene, that
the body converts to vitamin A.
Aroma: Slightly warm and sweet.
Character: Ranges from sweet and mild to pungent and fiery.
Heat Level: 2-7

Parsley (Petroselinum crispum)
This is the most popular garnish and most widely used herb in the United States.
It is an excellent source of iron, copper, iodine and vitamins C and A. It takes
twelve pounds of fresh parsley to make one pound of dried.
Many people think flat leaf parsley has a stronger flavor, and this opinion is
backed by chemical analysis which finds much higher levels of essential oil in the
flat-leaved cultivars.
Curative Qualities: Parsley has carminative, tonic and aperient action, but is chiefly
used for its diuretic properties, a strong decoction of the root being of great
service in gravel, stone, congestion of the kidneys, dropsy and jaundice. The
dried leaves are also used for the same purpose. Parsley Tea proved useful in
the trenches, where our men often got kidney complications, when suffering from
dysentery. Though the medicinal virtues of Parsley are still fully recognized, in
former times it was considered a remedy for more disorders than it is now used
for. Its imagined quality of destroying poison, to which Gerard refers, was
probably attributed to the plant from its remarkable power of overcoming strong
scents, even the odour of garlic being rendered almost imperceptible when
mingled with that of Parsley.
Aroma: Light and fresh.
Character: Clean and fresh.
Heat Level: 1

Black Pepper (Piper nigrum)
A small dried berry from a vine, also known as The King of Spices black pepper
was once so valuable it was used as currency and counted out, peppercorn by
peppercorn! Rome was held by Attila the Hun for a ransom of 3,000 Lbs of
pepper. Black pepper is one of the oldest spices known to man. Today, pepper is
the most commonly used spice in the United States. We all take for granted its
incredible value in ancient times, probably because almost every dining table
these days hosts a container of it. Tellicherry Pepper is considered to be of the
highest quality due to it's size and maturity.
Black pepper has a hot taste that is mild compared to its cousin the chili. It is said
to aid digestion, nausea and flatulence.
Curative Qualities: Stomachic; carminative; aromatic stimulant; antibacterial;
diaphoretic. Stimulates the taste-buds causing reflex stimulation of gastric
secretions, improving digestion and treating gastrointestinal upsets and
flatulence. Pepper calms nausea and raises body temperature, making it valuable
for treating fevers and chills.
Aroma: Aromatic and pungent.
Character: Black pepper is very pungent and fiery.
Heat Level: 8

White Pepper
This is different than black pepper in that it is soaked and the outer covering is
removed before drying. It is less pungent than hot pepper.
Heat Level: 7

Green Pepper
Green pepper is dried while still immature milder with a cleaner, fresher flavour.
Heat Level: 3

see also Cubeb Pepper, Long Pepper and Melegueta Pepper

Poppy Seed (Papaver somniferum)
As early as the first century A.D. poppy seed was used as a condiment The red
poppy flower has been the symbol of fallen warriors throughout history and was
adopted as the emblem to commemorate Veterans Day in the United States.
Curative Qualities: Western poppy syrup is an anodyne, (pain reliever) and
expectorant. Eastern poppy is an anodyne and narcotic. Cough mixtures and
syrups are also made from this variety, which is further used as a poultice with
chamomile. An infusion of seeds is said to help ear and tooth ache. The seeds
have appetising qualities. The use and dangers of poppy plant derivatives, such
as morphine, heroin and codeine, are well known. In the Middle Ages an
anaesthetic was produced called 'the soporific sponge', an infusion made of
poppy, mandrake, hemlock and ivy that was poured over a sponge and held
under the patient's nostrils.
Aroma: A mild sweetish aroma which is brought out by roasting or baking.
Character: Mild until heated, then it becomes nutty, with sweet-spicy under-tones.
Heat Level: 0

Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis)
This member of the mint family is primarily used in Italian cuisine. Greeks wore
rosemary in their hair, believing it strengthened the mind. In the Middle Ages it
was used medicinally and to flavor salted meats. It was a symbol of fidelity and
was burned as an incense during weddings. During the fourteenth and fifteenth
centuries, rosemary branches were burned in homes to keep away the black
death. More recently during World War II, a mixture of rosemary leaves and
juniper berries was burned in the hospitals of France to kill germs.
Curative Qualities: Traditionally, rosemary has been used by herbalists to improve
memory, relieve muscle pain and spasm, stimulate hair growth, and support the
circulatory and nervous systems. It is also believed to affect the menstrual cycle,
act as an abortifacient (inducing miscarriage), relieve menstrual cramps, increase
urine flow, and reduce kidney pain (for example, from kidney stones). Recently,
rosemary has been the object of laboratory and animal studies investigating its
potential in the prevention of cancer and its antibacterial properties.
Aroma: Fresh and sweet.
Character: Bittersweet and piney.
Heat Level: 0

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