Cardamom

Cardamom is also called as Elaichi (in Hindi) Elakkai or Elam (in tamil) which is commonly used to add flavor to any kind of dish. It also helps giving relief whenever we have tooth ache or gums pain. I remember my grandma used to keep it along with cloves,near the teeth which hurts her. Most of the times she get relief from that. While making fried rice or some kind of variety rice, we use this cardamom to add more flavor to the rice. Also while making desserts or sweets or pudding, we use this cardamom which adds more flavor. Cardamom is also used to make masala tea. I use cardamom, dry ginger, tea powder, cloves etc for making masala tea. Also while making garam masala powder, I use cardamom.

Dry Ginger - Chukku

Chukku is a very famous spice which is used most commonly in Kerala. Chukku vellam - Dry ginger water is a very famous in Kerala. While boiling water, we put chukku along with pepper and cumin seeds and drink this chukku vellam whenever we have sore throat. It gives relief immediately. Also chukku powder is available in stores now a days which we can use it in preparing coffee and tea. According to ayurveda, indigestion is the main cause for all the diseases. Chukku helps in digesting food easily. There is a custom in China, that people drink hot water or hot herbal tea after their meal which is basically for this reason and which also cuts extra fat from the food we took. I still remember, my grandma usually make a paste out of this dry ginger and apply it on her forehead whenever she get head ache. It really reduces the stress and tension which in turn reduces the head ache. This Chukku coffee or tea is also taken during nausea, which reduces the vomitting.

Omam

Nigella Sativa - scientific name for omam(in Tamil); Kalonji (in Hindi). In general Omam is good for digestion. In India, we usually keep store bought omam water handy, if small infants are around us. We give a teaspoon of this water everyday to infants and small kids which helps them in digestion. I make kozhambu with this kalonji everyother week. We can keep this kozhambu for a week to 10 days if it is properly refrigerated. It has lots and lots of medicinal value for bronchitis, asthma, cancer stomach worms, cold, eczema, boils etc.

Photo Source:- Wikipedia.org

Sesame Oil

Sesame oil is something we use in most of our spicy dishes like vatha kozhambu, for seasoning dosa, idly. This oil is also known as Gingelly oil or queen of OIls. We use this oil to lubricate our skin before taking bath. We use it everyday before bathing. It plays a vital role in Indian cooking. In Tamilnadu, this oil is been used to give first bath to young infants. Grand mothers usually warm this oil with a pinch of Omam (kalonji), rice and black pepper and drain those ingredients from oil and use the oil for giving bath to young kids.

Fatty acid	Nomenclature	Minimum	Maximum
Palmitic	C16:0	7.0 %	12.0 %
Palmitoleic	C16:1	trace	0.5 %
Stearic	C18:0	3.5 %	6.0 %
Oleic	C18:1	35.0 %	50.0 %
Linoleic	C18:2	35.0 %	50.0 %
Linolenic	C18:3	trace	1.0 %
Eicosenoic	C20:1	trace	1.0 %

Source:- www.wikipedia.org

Sesame oil is also used by adults to take oil hair bath because it is a belief in India that sesame oil reduces heat in our body which in turn reduces hair loss. It is used as a preservative for making pickles. It is also considered as a divine oil which is used in Pujas or lighting silver and brass lamps.

Tamarind

This is the main ingredient for the Indian dishes. Tamarind is used for making sambar, rasam, tamarind rice and most other recipes. Its very tart and acidic and is the main component of savory dishes. n temples, especially in Asian countries, the pulp is used to clean brass shrine furniture, removing dulling and the greenish patina that forms. Tamarind is available in specialty food stores worldwide in pod form or as a paste or concentrate.

Moong Dhall

This is moong split without shells. This yellow dal doesn't need to be soaked and are easy to cook and digest. These beans can also be boiled and mashed in soups, stews, and sauces. In India the mung beans are also consumed as a snack. The dried mung beans are soaked in water, then partly dried to a dry matter content of approx. 42% before and then deep-fried in hot oil. The frying time varies between 60 and 90 seconds. The fat content of this snack is around 20%. This snack is traditionally prepared at home and is now also available from industrial producers.

Asafoetida Powder!!

Asafoetida powder is a crucial ingredient in Indian vegetarian cooking. Also known in India as Hing in Hindi and Perungaayam in Tamil. Derived from a species of giant fennel, asafoetida has a unique smell and flavor. As a strong tasting herb, a small amount of asafoetida goes a long way. Therefore, large quantities are not needed for most recipes. Typically, the herb can be purchased for as little as 5 US Dollars (USD) for a small jar. Asafoetida cannot be eaten raw. Eating raw asafoetida root can cause severe diarreah and vomiting. This spice is used as a digestive aid, in food as a condiment and in pickles. Its odor is so strong that it must be stored in airtight containers

In our family, my patti used to make a spicy buttermilk everyday, in which she uses this asafoetida powder which helps for digestion.