Black pepper and white pepper are made from the Piper nigrum plant. Black pepper is ground from dried, whole unripe fruit. White pepper is ground from dried, ripe fruit that has had the outer layer removed. The black pepper and white pepper powder are used to make medicine. People take black pepper for stomach upset, bronchitis, and cancer. They take white pepper for stomach upset, malaria, cholera, and cancer. Black pepper is sometimes applied directly to the skin for treating nerve pain (neuralgia) and a skin disease called scabies. Black pepper and white pepper are also used topically as a counterirritant for pain. In foods and beverages, black pepper, white pepper, and pepper oil (a product distilled from black pepper) are used as flavoring agents.
Cardamom is an herb. The seeds are used to make medicine. Cardamom is used for digestion problems including heartburn, intestinal spasms, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), intestinal gas, constipation, liver and gallbladder complaints, and loss of appetite. It is also used for common cold, cough, bronchitis, sore mouth and throat, and tendency toward infection. Some people use cardamom as a stimulant and for urinary problems. In foods, cardamom is used as a spice in many parts of the world.
Tamil Name: கொத்தமல்லி Coriander is a plant. People use the seed for medicine. Coriander is used for digestion problems including upset stomach, loss of appetite, hernia, nausea, diarrhea, bowel spasms, and intestinal gas. It is also used to treat measles, hemorrhoids, toothaches, worms, and joint pain, as well as infections caused by bacteria and fungus. Some breast-feeding women use coriander to increase milk flow. In foods, coriander is used as a culinary spice and to prevent food poisoning. In manufacturing, coriander is used as a flavoring agent in medicines and tobacco and as a fragrance in cosmetics and soaps.
Tamil Name: கிராம்பு Clove is an herb. People use the oils, dried flower buds, leaves, and stems to make medicine. Clove is used for upset stomach and as an expectorant. Expectorants make it easier to cough up phlegm. Clove oil is used for diarrhea, hernia, and bad breath. Clove and clove oil are used for intestinal gas, nausea, and vomiting. Clove is applied directly to the gums (used topically) for toothache, for pain control during dental work, and for a complication of tooth extraction called “dry socket.” It is also applied to the skin as a counterirritant for pain and for mouth and throat inflammation. In combination with other ingredients, clove is also applied to the skin as part of a multi-ingredient product used to keep men from reaching orgasm too early (premature ejaculation). In foods and beverages, clove is used as a flavoring. In manufacturing, clove is used in toothpaste, soaps, cosmetics, perfumes, and cigarettes. Clove cigarettes, also called kreteks, generally contain 60% to 80% tobacco and 20% to 40% ground clove. Eugenol, one of the chemicals in clove, acts like menthol to reduce the harshness of tobacco smoke.
Tamil Name: நட்சத்திர சோம்பு Star anise is an herb. The seed and oil are used to make medicine. Be careful you know what you are taking. The star anise used as medicine is Chinese star anise. Don’t confuse it with Japanese star anise, which is poisonous and should not be taken. Some Chinese star anise tea products have been contaminated with Japanese star anise. You cannot tell the difference between them just by looking. Unless safety can be assured by chemical analysis, star anise tea should not be used. People try taking star anise for respiratory tract infections, lung swelling (inflammation), cough, bronchitis, the flu (influenza), swine flu, and bird flu. They also use it for digestive tract problems including upset stomach, gas, loss of appetite, and colic in babies. Some women use star anise for increasing the flow of breast milk, promoting menstruation, and easing childbirth. Star anise is also used for increasing sexual drive (libido) and treating symptoms of “male menopause.” Some people inhale star anise to treat respiratory tract congestion. In foods and beverages, star anise is considered a culinary spice; both the seed and oil are used as flavoring. In manufacturing, the oil is used as a fragrance in soaps, cosmetics, perfumes, and toothpaste, and to mask undesirable odors in drug products.
Tamil Name: கறுவா Cinnamon comes from a tree. People use the bark to make medicine. Cinnamon bark is used for gastrointestinal (GI) upset, diarrhea, and gas. It is also used for stimulating appetite; for infections caused by bacteria and parasitic worms; and for menstrual cramps, the common cold, and the flu (influenza). Cinnamon bark, as part of a multi-ingredient preparation, is applied to the penis for premature ejaculation. In foods, cinnamon is used as a spice and as a flavoring agent in beverages. In manufacturing, cinnamon oil is used in small amounts in toothpaste, mouthwashes, gargles, lotions, liniments, soaps, detergents, and other pharmaceutical products and cosmetics. There are lots of different types of cinnamon. Cinnamomum verum (Ceylon cinnamon) and Cinnamomum aromaticum (Cassia cinnamon or Chinese cinnamon) are commonly used. In many cases, the cinnamon spice purchased in food stores contains a combination of these different types of cinnamon. See the separate listing for Cassia Cinnamon.
