If you ever saw the 2005 International blockbuster, "Mistress of Spices," this blog might fascinate you to no end. Indian spices of the Ayurveda are somewhat of an enigma. The combination of herbs and "masalas" not only add the quintessential zing and flavour to meals, but these spices are undoubted well known for their healing properties.

From balancing the pita, to offering mental stability to even detoxifying the body, there is nothing like the spices from the Ayurveda. In fact, if you are a connoisseur of healthy living, then you must consider investing in some of the healing herbs and spices from the Ayurveda. On that note, we will countdown eight unique spices of the Ayurveda, which will be a welcome addition to your kitchen.

Are you Ready?

Let's Begin:

• Turmeric (Haldi)

Turmeric is popularly called the golden spice or the kind of spices. It is an enigmatic spice known for its subtle flavoring but intense color. One of the most significant features of turmeric is its anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and anti-aging properties. It has tons of benefits, including boosting cognitive health, improving memory, clearing acne, detoxifying the body, and slowing down the aging process. 

What's more? Turmeric can add the necessary zing and flavor to many authentic "desi" dishes. Some of the items you can cook with turmeric is daal, Matar paneer, Navrattan Korma, chicken curry and more. 

You can also use haldi or turmeric milk in the morning or before going to bed. This milk helps detoxify the body and protect it from succumbing to cold and infections. Additionally, you can also use turmeric in fancy glassware and click images for social media. The entire setup will look very holistic and promote a healthy lifestyle. For a stylish glass, websites like Ellementry is quite famous too!

Also Read- Turmeric: The Golden Powder and Its Many Magical Properties 

• Balck and Green Cardamom (Ilayachi) 

We often have seen how mothers use cardamom in their meals. From crushing them and mixing them to milk to adding them in a plethora of curries and dishes, cardamom is a floral and minty seed that adds a sweet and aromatic flavouring to meals. 

Balck cardamom is quite popular owing to its strong smell and taste. In fact, it is so potent that often one big ilayachi is enough to flavour stews, biriyani, pulao and more. It is typically placed in hot oil along with other spices to let the aroma and flavour sink in. 

On the other hand, green cardamom is smaller than the black one and is often used with little cloves for preparing a dish. It has a unique flavouring and only requires basic four to five pods to flavour lentils. You can also use these green cardamoms to flavour lentils, tea, and other aromatic dishes. 

• Ginger (Adrak) 

One of the most popular spices used in Indian cooking is adrak or ginger. Popular dishes like mixed vegetable, kadai chicken, khichdi, Kadai paneer, and others are incomplete without the dash of ginger. Further, many Indian households use ginger for flavouring a plethora of lentils, mainly black and green lentils. Additionally, ginger is also used for healing properties. It has anti-microbial and anti-inflammatory properties, which make it ideal for healing cough and cold. 

Ginger tea, in general, can aid in clearing out the blocked nose and giving one energy. Additionally, ginger can help reduce stomach acidity and other ailments that make it a powerful spice to add to your daily meals. 

• Coriander Powder (Dhaniya) 

One of the most extensive used spices in the Indian kitchen is coriander powder. This one has a minty herbal flavouring and is normally combined with cumin, chilli powder, turmeric, and ginger for marination. This one is also perfect for boosting the overall health of the body.

It is rich in zinc, iron, copper and has the property to boost RBC in the body. It also helps in bolstering heart health and boosting metabolism, so if you are planning to lose weight, using coriander powder is a good option. You can also use coriander powder for flavouring tandoori meals and loads of other Afghani dishes. 

• Saffron 

One of India's most expensive spices, saffron is filled with loads of benefits that boost the heart, body, and mental health. It is used intensively to flavour meals like milk, kheer, Kesar milk and biriyanis. It has many winning properties, which include potent antioxidant properties. Additionally, saffron doubles up as a potent aphrodisiac, with mood-boosting capabilities.

It also reduces appetite, aids in weight loss and is known to have cancer-fighting abilities. So, why don't you stock up some saffron and watch its magical properties do wonders for your body? When you are using saffron, the best way to do so is to add it after cooking a meal. It is mainly a spice famous for garnishing and adds flavour.

Also Read- How putting spices in condiment sets can make the dining table more colourful 

• Cumin

No Indian household is complete without the use of cumin. Cumin is used in a plethora of curries, dals and meat dishes too. Usually, a few cumin seeds are popped inside the oil, and then these are cooked along with chilli powder, turmeric, coriander and ginger. 

These cumin seeds are ideal for dishes like "dahi vada (savory donuts with yoghurt)", raitas, and other savoury items. You can use chilli and cumin powders for complete dishes, promoting a healthy and stable lifestyle. 

• GARLIC

Almost everyone is aware of garlic. Used in multiple cuisines worldwide, garlic features a compound high in sulphur and has tons of health benefits. It has a pungent and potent aroma that surprisingly adds quite an interesting flavour to food. It is used in dishes like Dal Makhani, Garlic Naan, Palak/Saag Paneer and others.

Garlic also has many health and medicinal properties that include boosting heart health and balancing blood pressure. It further protects the skin from free radicals and thus, can slow down the ageing process. 

• Asafetida (Hing) 

Asafoetida is a favourite spice of the Indians. This one is a little weird and smells quite strong, but it adds intriguing flavouring to modern dishes. It generally reeks of sulphur and onions, but when you add it in a frying pan and combine it with other spices, it is enough to drive gastronomes wild. 

It is used in many curries and dishes to give a certain edge to the spices and recipes.

On that note, now that you are aware of the eight spices of the Ayurveda, why don't you go and get some of these for your kitchen. You can store these in unique containers and kitchenware. For more insight on kitchenware, feel free to check out websites like Ellementry.

Also Read- How to Grind Spices with Mortar and Pestle