In Indian cuisine, asafoetida is prized as an essential ingredient incorporating all six tastes - sweet, salty, sour, pungent, bitter and astringent. Releasing an onion/garlic flavour when heated, asafoetida is extensively used for flavouring curries, sauces and pickles. It gives a satisfying, robust taste to delicate lentils and vegetables and hence is excellent in vegetarian dishes. Asafoetida is also used in many medicines due to its antibiotic properties.

Today, bay leaf is one of the most sought-after culinary spices. Also known as sweet laurel, bay leaves are used for flavouring and seasoning soups, meat, stews, fish, sauces, pickles and confectioneries. Bay leaves are usually dried and used whole, crumbled or ground. These leaves possess aromatic, stimulant and narcotic properties. The essential oil extracted bay leaves are also used as spice and food flavouring agents. Bay leaves have extensive applications in traditional medicines in many different countries.

Bishop's weed, popularly known as ajwain, is an aromatic spice used in various cuisines. It is also used medicinally as a calming herb to ease intestinal colic and as a stimulant to increase appetite. Bishop’s weed is also used in the treatment of diarrhea, bronchitis, bronchial asthma and can soothe laryngitis when used as a gargle. It is often used to increase milk flow in nursing mothers.

Large cardamom has a strong, unique taste with an intensely aromatic fragrance with many medicinal values. It is an important spice crop grown in India and the global demand for exporting is increasing steadily. It is used as a flavouring in various cuisines and also is used in Ayurvedic and Unani medicines.

Celery is a popular spice that is widely used in various cuisines around the world. It is also used to flavour beverages, meat seasonings, ice cream, baked goods and confectioneries just to name a few. Valued in many countries for its medicinal properties, celery can be used as a natural stimulant for treating asthma and liver disease.

Chili peppers have revolutionized the cuisines of many tropical countries by adding their unique flavour, colour and taste to all sorts of dishes. They are used in a variety of ways: ground, seeds, whole, powder and in a paste. Red chili peppers have many therapeutic benefits which include stimulating the appetite and also cooling the body.

In ancient times cinnamon was considered more precious than gold. It is a staple ingredient used to flavour many recipes. Cinnamon can do wonders for your health and can be prescribed as a carminative (to diminish flatulence), astringent, stimulant and as an antiseptic. Cinnamon is usually combined with other medicines and is commonly prescribed as a powder or infusion. It is also used to treat nausea and diarrhea.

Coriander is available throughout the year. Coriander is one of the world's oldest spices and native to India, Middle East, Spain, South America and other Asian countries. The most common use of coriander is in curry powders. It is an essential ingredient of garam masala.

One of the most popular and essential spices of India is cumin. It gives a distinctive warm flavour to an enormous range of savoury dishes and is especially popular in Asian dishes. The seeds and powder are essential ingredients in many mixed spices, chutneys and chili and curry powders. Traditionally used to protect and heal the body, cumin can be taken to strengthen and improve digestion and nutrient assimilation and healing of stitches and pain.

For centuries, dill seeds have been used in many different countries for many different purposes. In India, dill is used extensively in foods like lentil and bean dishes, beverages and even medicines. Dill seeds are popular all over Europe, Western, Central and Southern Asia. India In Germany, fish soups and stews always have the flavour of dill. Dill seeds also make useful additions to cold, flu and cough remedies.