30 types of kitchen spices, both seasoning and medicine, come and learn more

It is a spice and also a traditional Chinese medicine. Traditional Chinese medicine originates from plants, animals, and natural minerals, with plant medicine accounting for most. It is mainly used as medicine in leaves, flowers, fruits, stems, roots, seeds, or whole herbs, thus giving traditional Chinese medicine a unique odour or fragrance. Many of the fragrant peppercorns or scallions are traditional Chinese medicine, and many of them are also spices, which is called "medicine and food are the same source, and medicine and food are used together."

• Octagonal

Also known as anise, woody anise, or anise, it is a woody plant. Tasting Spices ※. The taste is sweet and fragrant. It is effective when used alone or combined with other medicines (fragrant herbs). Mainly used for animal raw materials such as burning, braising, stewing, and simmering. Sometimes, it is also used for vegetarian dishes, such as stewed radish, stewed dried tofu, etc. Octagon is the main seasoning in Wuxiang powder. It is also the most important spice in brine.

1. Octagon is used mainly for cooking, frying, braising, sauce, and roasting. It is often added to dishes made of beef and rabbit meat, which can remove fishy and other odours, add fragrant odours, and adjust the taste to enhance appetite

2. When stewing meat, put star anise into the pot, and its fragrance can be fully hydrolyzed and dissolved into the meat, making the meat taste more mellow and fragrant;

3. When making soup cabbage, salt and star anise can be added to the cabbage and boiled together, and finally, some sesame oil can be added to make the dish have a strong meat dish flavour;

4. When marinating eggs, duck eggs, Chinese toons, and coriander, adding star anise will give it a unique flavour. Medicine stewed soup head production: Fried lamb meat pieces, crispy fat duck, spicy beef, soft, crispy beef, almond radish, pig lung soup, homemade crispy duck, crispy duck, Beijing braised lamb, clear stewed soup head production, 3-5 grams per meal. Attribute: Sexual warmth. Function: Treating abdominal pain, calming vomiting, regulating the stomach, treating hernia, dispelling cold and dampness, soothing the liver and warming the stomach.

• fennel

Also known as fennel, grass fennel. It belongs to the herbaceous plant of the vanilla class and has a taste for spices. The taste is sweet and fragrant and can be used alone or in combination with other drugs. Big and small fennel are commonly used seasonings essential for cooking fish, stewing meat, and making braised food. They are called "fennel" because they can remove the odour from meat and add new fragrances. Big anise, also known as anise, is known as "star anise". The seed of fennel is a seasoning, and its stems and leaves also have an aroma, often used as a filling for food such as steamed buns and dumplings. The tender leaves of fennel can be used for filling dumplings but are rarely used for seasoning. Fennel seeds are mainly used in braised and boiled poultry, livestock dishes, beans, peanuts, and bean products. The taste, properties, and functions are the same as those of star anise.

Their main ingredient is fennel oil, which can stimulate gastrointestinal nerves and blood vessels, promote digestive secretion, increase gastrointestinal peristalsis, and eliminate accumulated gases, thus strengthening the stomach and promoting qi circulation. Sometimes, gastrointestinal peristalsis decreases after excitement, which helps alleviate spasms and pain. According to the Chinese Pharmacopoeia, fennel preparations are commonly used for stomach strengthening, cold dispersing, qi promoting, and pain-relieving drugs. Aniline can promote the maturation and release of bone marrow cells into peripheral blood, with a significant increase in white blood cells, mainly neutrophils, and can be used for leukopenia. Special reminder: Mouldy fennel should not be eaten. Fennel should be blanched in boiling water before filling. People with yin deficiency and excessive fire should not consume it. Spices 3-5 grams each time. 60 to 80 grams of fennel per serving. Eating too much can easily cause eye damage and sores.

• Cinnamon bark

Also known as cinnamon, cinnamon, or cinnamon, it is one of the earliest spices humans use. Cinnamon was mentioned in historical records dating back to 2800 BC. Cinnamon is also mentioned in the Western Bible and ancient Egyptian literature. Before the Qin Dynasty, cinnamon had already become as famous as ginger as a seasoning for meat in China. Effect: Cinnamon has a rich aroma due to its volatile oil content, which can dispel fishy and greasy meat dishes, make them fragrant and delicious, and thus increase appetite. Adding cinnamon to your daily diet may help prevent or delay type II diabetes caused by ageing.

Traditional Chinese medicine believes that cinnamon has the function of warming the stomach, dispelling cold, promoting blood circulation, relaxing tendons, unblocking meridians, relieving pain, and relieving diarrhoea. Suitable for the general population: edible. Applicable amount: One small piece (approximately 5 grams) at a time. Cinnamon that is damp and mouldy is not edible. The dosage should not be too large, as excessive fragrance can affect the dish's taste. Cinnamon has a strong aroma and contains carcinogenic safrole, so the smaller the amount consumed, the better, and it is not suitable for long-term consumption. Cinnamon has a hot nature, so it should be avoided in summer. Cinnamon has the effect of promoting blood circulation, and pregnant women should eat less. Mainly used for braised, roasted, boiled, and simmered dishes such as poultry, livestock, and beasts. It is the main seasoning in brine. Attribute: Hot and dry. Function: Benefiting the liver, dredging the meridians, promoting blood circulation, dispelling cold, and removing dampness.

• Cinnamon twig

The twigs of the cinnamon tree have the same taste, purpose, properties, and function as cinnamon, but not as strong as cinnamon.

Cinnamon twig is used for sweating and muscle relief, for symptoms such as cold and cold, body heat and headache, aversion to cold and fear of wind. Its warming and pain relieving effect can be used for wind-cold dampness, shoulder and arm joint soreness, stomach and abdominal pain, women's blood cold and stasis, irregular menstruation, amenorrhea, and abdominal pain. It can also assist in transforming yang into qi and is used for spleen yang deficiency, internal stagnation of phlegm and drink, cold and distension of the back, and unfavourable urination.

• Fragrant leaves

The leaves of the osmanthus tree are greyish green in colour, with no mould spots on the body, and have a rich aroma and a high-quality taste. Its function is to enhance the fragrance and eliminate odours, promoting appetite. The taste, purpose, properties, and function are similar to cinnamon, but the taste is lighter. The function of enhancing flavour and aroma is commonly used in marinade applications. Cooking guide: Mainly used for seasoning sauce dishes or soups, it is also commonly used for cooking baby dishes. Dried leaves can also be used as a flavouring agent for canned food. It is one of the most commonly used aromatic seasonings in Western cuisine. It is suitable for cooking meat or adding a little sauce to seasoned meat, but it should not be added too much because it has a strong taste. Otherwise, it will cover the original taste of the food:

1. For ground bay leaves, in general, when cooking a large pot of meat, only about a small portion needs to be picked with a small nail;

2. If the whole leaf is used as a calculation, one leaf is more than enough to make a pot of meat;

3. If it is used in sauce preparation, choose smaller leaves.

• Sand ginger

Also known as Shannai or Shanla. It belongs to the herb family of vanilla. Native food spices. The taste is spicy and fragrant. Both raw and cooked foods are acceptable. It is better to use alone or in combination with other drugs. It is mainly used for animal-based dishes such as braising, simmering, and grilling. It is often processed into powder and is commonly used in Cantonese cuisine. Attribute: Sexual warmth. Function: Enters the spleen and stomach, opens stagnation, dispels evil qi, and treats symptoms such as stomach cold and pain.

• Angelica

The taste is sweet, bitter, and fragrant. Mainly used for stewing and cooking livestock or wild animal dishes. Due to its extremely strong taste, the amount used is minimal. Otherwise, it will fail the dish. Angelica sinensis is a perennial herbaceous plant in the Umbelliferae family. It contains folic acid, niacin, vitamin Dl2, and E components. It has anti-anemia, improves blood circulation, and increases coronary artery blood flow. It has a preventive and therapeutic effect on coronary heart disease, protects the liver, and prevents the decrease of liver glycogen.

According to an analysis of the medical prescriptions of Emperor Qianlong, the longevity emperor Angelica sinensis was the most commonly used in his healthcare prescriptions. Traditional Chinese medicine believes that it has a warm nature, a sweet and spicy taste, and functions to replenish blood, regulate menstruation, promote blood circulation and relieve pain, moisten the intestines, and relieve constipation.

It is suitable for women with weak blood deficiency, irregular menstruation, dysmenorrhea, amenorrhea, deficiency cold abdominal pain, falls and injuries, blood stasis pain, rheumatic pain, painful gangrene and sores, blood stagnation pain, blood deficiency and intestinal dryness constipation. Dosage: 5-15 grams; if used for tonifying blood, Angelica sinensis should be used for body stasis and promoting blood circulation. After being brewed with alcohol, it can enhance its blood-activating effect. But if it is damp and full, those with diarrhoea should avoid it. Attribute: Sexual warmth. Function: Supplementing blood and promoting blood circulation, regulating qi and relieving external symptoms, treating menstrual disorders, leukorrhea, dysmenorrhea, anaemia and other diseases in women. It is a good medicine for gynaecology.

• Schizonepeta tenuifolia

It belongs to the herbaceous plant of the vanilla class and feeds on spices. Dry whole grass with square stems and vertical seas on all sides, with multiple branches on the upper part; Length 45-90 centimetres, diameter 3-5 millimetres;

The surface is purple-red with short pubescence; Lightweight and brittle, easy to break, with a fibrous cross-section, yellow-white, and loose white pulp in the centre. Leaves are opposite, with divided leaves and slender, yellow, wrinkled and incomplete fragmentation; The texture is brittle and easy to peel off.

The branch bears a spike-like inflorescence, which is green, cylindrical and 7-10 centimetres long. The corolla has mostly fallen off, leaving only a small green calyx tube with four brownish-brownish-black nuts inside. The aroma is fragrant, with a slightly astringent and spicy taste. It is better to have light purple, thin stems and numerous dense spikes.

As a Chinese herbal medicine, its medicinal part is the dried aboveground part of Schizonepeta tenuifolia, which has the effects of relieving external heat, dispersing wind, and penetrating rashes, and has good therapeutic effects on allergic inflammation. The taste is spicy and fragrant, and it is not widely used. Sometimes, it is used for cooking meat, mainly as a vegetable. Attribute: Sexual warmth. Function: Enters the lungs and liver, dispels wind and evil, and clears the head and eyes.

• Perilla frutescens

It is a herbaceous plant belonging to the vanilla class, with a dual purpose of its original flavour. Pick batches before flowering in summer and autumn, remove impurities, and dry in the sun. Characteristics of medicinal herbs: The leaves are mostly wrinkled and curly, often broken. The intact leaves are oblong, 4-13 centimetres long, 2.5-9 centimetres wide or more. The top is sharp, the base is wide wedge-shaped, and the edge has tear-like serrations. The petiole is 2-7 centimetres long, purple to purple-blue on both sides or purple-green on the top, sparsely covered with grey-white hair. Most sunken glandular points can be seen below. Crunchy and fragile in texture. The air is spicy and fragrant, with a slightly pungent taste. It is best to have large leaves, purple, no branches, and a strong aroma. Suzi has the effects of lowering qi, reducing phlegm, moistening the lungs, and broadening the intestines. Suitable for elderly patients with lung qi deficiency and susceptibility to cold pathogenic factors, such as stuffy chest septum, coughing, wheezing, excessive phlegm, lack of food, and cardiovascular disease patients.

The taste is spicy and fragrant. Not widely used. But it is used for frying snails and has a wonderful taste, sometimes used for cooking beef and mutton. Attribute: Sexual warmth. Function: Relieve external cold, regulate qi and balance the middle, eliminate phlegm and calm asthma, promote meridians and collaterals. It can treat symptoms such as wind cold, fever, aversion to cold, coughing, asthma, nausea and vomiting, fish and crab poisoning, and can smooth the flow and prevent miscarriage.

• mint

• Gardenia

Also known as mountain gardenia, it is a woody plant with a taste of spices and a natural colour of orange, red or orange-yellow. The taste is slightly bitter and fragrant. Not very useful, sometimes used for seasoning poultry or rice products, mainly for colour matching.

Function: Clearing heat and purging fire can clear the heat in the heart and lungs and is mainly used to treat heat diseases such as restlessness, redness, jaundice, hematemesis, epistaxis, heat toxicity, and sores.

• Angelica dahurica
  
  
  

It belongs to the herbaceous plant of the vanilla class and has a taste for spices. The taste is spicy and fragrant. Usually used in combination with other medications. Mainly used for braising, roasting, and simmering poultry and animal game dishes.
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Spicy in taste, it is mainly used to dispel wind and dampness, promote blood circulation and purulent discharge, and promote muscle growth and pain relief. Used for headaches, toothache, nasal sinuses, intestinal wind haemorrhoids, red and white discharge, carbuncle and sores, and skin itching. Attribute: Sexual warmth. Function: dispelling cold and dampness, reducing swelling and pus, clearing the head and head.

• Cardamom
  

Commonly used in poultry and livestock dishes such as braising, braising, and simmering. Cooking Instructions:
1. White cardamom should not be exposed to fire.
2. It can be crushed but not stir-fried; otherwise, its unique aromatic taste will be lost or weakened.
3. Those who are initially damp and warm, do not raise body heat, have chest tightness but not hunger, and are more humid than hot can be compatible with almonds, coix seed, talcum, and other ingredients.
4. For those who vomit due to cold dampness in the spleen and stomach, it can be compatible with Pinellia ternata, Huoxiang, ginger, etc.
5. Cooking purpose: As a seasoning, it can remove odours and enhance fragrance and spiciness.

Used for preparing marinated soups and making marinated pork and roasted chicken. It is also one of the properties of curry powder raw materials: hot and dry. Function: Enters the lungs, dispels evil, breaks stagnation, and helps the stomach stop vomiting.

• Grass fruit
  
  
  

The aroma is fragrant, and the taste is spicy and spicy. A large, plump, reddish-brown colour with a strong odour is preferred. The taste is spicy and fragrant. Used in combination with other medicines for cooking, braising, boiling, simmering, and other meat dishes. Attribute: Hot and dry. Function: Breaking the qi of malaria, causing cold in the spleen and stomach, intercepting malaria and eliminating phlegm.

• turmeric
  
  
  

The fragrance is particularly bitter and pungent. It is best to have a solid texture, golden section, and strong aroma. The taste is spicy, fragrant, and bitter. It is a spice that combines colour and flavour as a spice and a natural pigment.

Generally, it is mainly used for colour mixing and in combination with other medicines. It is used in cattle and sheep dishes and sometimes in chicken, duck, fish, and shrimp dishes. It is also the main ingredient in curry powder and satay sauce. Attribute: Sexual warmth. Function: Breaking Qi and promoting blood stasis, dispelling wind and cold, reducing swelling and pain

Amomum villosum

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Aromatic and strong, with a spicy and slightly bitter taste. The taste is spicy and fragrant. Combined with other medicines, it is mainly used for cooking, braising, simmering, boiling, and other meat dishes or bean products. Instructions for the practice of sand kernel: For those who suffer from abdominal pain, lack of appetite, vomiting and diarrhoea caused by stagnation of spleen and stomach qi and dampness, they should be used together with Muxiang and be combined with other drugs according to their symptoms; If the obstruction is slightly cold, it can be paired with ginger juice; For those who are slightly hot, they can be paired with baicalin, bamboo mushrooms, etc. to help dissipate heat and prevent miscarriage. In addition, the warming effect of this product can also be used to treat the Qi pain of the flying dolphin, and it is often used together with Xiaofenxiang and Wuzhuyu Isothermal Internal Cold Dispersal Medicines.
Function: expelling cold and accelerating qi, stopping vomiting, treating stomach pain, resolving stagnation and phlegm.

The aroma is fragrant, and the taste is spicy. The taste is spicy and fragrant. Combined with other herbs, it is used for cooking, braising, simmering, and other dishes.

Function: Eliminating cold, relieving pain in the heart and abdomen, dispelling adverse reactions, treating salivation and vomiting.

clove

The taste is spicy, fragrant, and bitter. It can be used alone or in combination with other drugs. Commonly used for steaming, roasting, simmering, boiling, braising, and other dishes. Such as clove chicken, clove beef, clove tofu skin, etc. As a seasoning, it can correct the taste and enhance the fragrance. It is commonly used to produce braised vegetables and in pastries and beverages. It is also one of the raw materials for five-spice powder and curry powder. Due to its extremely rich flavour, it should not be used frequently. Otherwise, it will be counterproductive.

Function: Nourishing the stomach, tonifying the kidneys, lengthening yang, and treating vomiting.

• pepper

Zanthoxylum bungeanum is a commonly used seasoning, but have you ever thought about adding an extra handful of Zanthoxylum bungeanum to stir fry in spring? Not only can it warm the sun and dispel cold, but it can also kill bacteria and prevent diseases, enhance immunity, and achieve twice the effect with half the effort. Traditional Chinese medicine believes that Chinese prickly ash has a warm nature and has the functions of dispersing cold, removing dampness, relieving pain, and killing insects. Moderate consumption in spring can help promote the growth of yang qi in the human body. At the same time, various bacteria and viruses multiply in spring, a season of frequent epidemics.
The volatile oil in Chinese prickly ash can enhance the phagocytic activity of macrophages in the body, thereby enhancing the body's immune capacity. Moreover, Chinese prickly ash has inhibitory effects on diphtheria bacteria, pneumococcal bacteria, Staphylococcus aureus, and certain skin fungi. It is suitable for single use or combined with other medicines but is often used in dishes such as frying, boiling, braising, roasting, etc. Meat and vegetables are suitable, and pepper is widely used in Sichuan cuisine.

• Cumin
  

Tasting spices, spicy and fragrant. Cumin is a necessary seasoning for barbecue food, rich in oil and strong in aroma. It is mainly used for seasoning and extracting spices and is one of the main ingredients for preparing curry powder. The aroma of curry is very strong, and the aroma will be more pronounced after being fried or grilled. When heated, the cumin flavour will slightly change. Processing beef and mutton with cumin can remove fishy and greasy substances, make the meat more delicious and fragrant, and increase people's appetite. Cumin also has the effects of refreshing the brain, unblocking the meridians, reducing fire, cal, ming the liver, etc. It can dispel cold and dampness, regulate qi, stimulate appetite, and relieve wind and pain. It has therapeutic effects on indigestion, stomach cold and pain, and frequent bowel movements due to kidney deficiency. Seasoning dishes with cumin can also preserve and kill bacteria. Traditional Chinese medicine believes that cumin has a sweet and spicy odour, is spicy, warm, and non-toxic, and has effects such as warming the spleen, stimulating the appetite and lowering qi, dissipating digestion and accumulation, clearing the brain and meridians, and removing cold and dampness.

People with stomach colds can usually add some cumin to stir fry or barbecue to dispel the cold in their stomachs.

1. Processing beef and mutton with cumin can remove fishy and greasy substances, make the meat more delicious and fragrant, and increase appetite;
2. Cumin has the effects of refreshing the brain, unblocking the meridians, reducing fire, calming the liver, etc. It can dispel cold and dampness, regulate qi and stimulate the stomach, drive away wind and relieve pain, and has therapeutic effects on indigestion, stomach cold pain, kidney deficiency and frequent bowel movements;
3. Seasoning dishes with cumin can also prevent corrosion and sterilization. Kind reminder: Season with cumin, and do not use too much. Cumin is hot, so you should eat less in summer. People with constipation or haemorrhoids should eat less or no food. Usually used singly, it is mainly used for roasted, fried, or fried dishes such as lamb, beef, chicken, fish, etc. It is a commonly used and favourite spice in the northwest region. The taste of cumin is extremely strong and unique. Southern people find it difficult to accept this flavour, so there are few cumin dishes in Southern cuisine.

Function: Promoting wind, dispelling cold, warming the stomach, and removing dampness.

• pepper
  
  
  

Both black and white peppercorns should not be fried at high temperatures. When the dish or soup is about to come out of the pot, add a small amount and mix evenly; 2. Cook black pepper and meat together; the time should not be too long to prevent the aroma from evaporating; 3. Fresh pepper can be refrigerated for short storage, while powdered pepper should be stored in a sealed container to avoid moisture and light, and the storage time should not be too long. Cooking purpose: In cooking, it is used to remove fishiness, relieve odour, and prepare strong-flavoured meat dishes. It has the function of appetizing, increasing food intake, and detoxifying foods such as fish, crabs, and meat, making it a commonly used seasoning in home kitchens. Function: Dispelling cold, lowering qi, widening the middle, dissipating wind, and removing phlegm. Note: Pepper can cause sores and promote fire, damage yin, and should not be consumed if the stomach is hot and hot.

• liquorice

 

It is mainly used for cured products and pickled vegetables. Function: Harmony, detoxification, tonifying qi and moistening the lungs, relieving cough, purging fire, relieving all pain, treating qi deficiency and fatigue, food deficiency and loose stools, coughing and asthma, sore throat, sore poisoning, abdominal and limb spasms and pain. Note: Eating too much can cause vomiting.

• Tangerine peel
  
  
  

Traditional Chinese medicine believes that dried tangerine peel has a bitter taste and a warm nature, and the effects of warming the stomach and dispersing cold, regulating qi and strengthening the spleen. It is suitable for people with symptoms such as stomach fullness, indigestion, loss of appetite, and coughing and phlegm. Modern research has shown that tangerine peel contains many volatile oils, hesperidin, and other components.
The volatile oil it contains mildly stimulates the gastrointestinal tract, promotes digestive fluid secretion, eliminates gas accumulation in the intestine, and increases appetite. When making soup, add about 10 grams of tangerine peel. It should be noted that tangerine peel tends to be warm and dry, and those with symptoms such as dry cough, no phlegm, and dry mouth and tongue should not eat too much.
In addition, fresh orange peel does not have the medicinal effects of orange peel. Additionally, due to the contamination of pesticides and preservatives on the surface of fresh orange peel, these chemical agents harm human health. Therefore, fresh orange peel cannot be used as a substitute for orange peel. It is a woody plant. Taste food spices.
The taste is spicy, bitter, and fragrant. It is advisable to use alone or in combination with other drugs. It is mainly used for cooking, braising, steaming, simmering and other meat dishes. It is also used to make composite sauces. Function: dispelling cold and dampness, regulating qi and dispersing adverse reactions, relieving cough and phlegm

• medlar
  
  
  

The taste is fragrant and sweet, with the effects of nourishing blood and improving eyesight, treating dizziness, and nourishing the liver and kidneys.

Effect: Nourish the liver and kidney, benefit the essence and brighten the eyes. Used for deficiency of labour and essence, pain in the waist and knees, dizziness and tinnitus, internal heat and thirst, blood deficiency and yellowing, and unclear vision. Do not overdo any supplements, and Goji berries are no exception. Generally speaking, it is more suitable for healthy adults to eat around 20 grams of goji berries daily. If you think about the therapeutic effect, eating around 30 grams daily is best. Many animal experiments on the toxicity of goji berries have proven that goji berries are very safe food, free from toxins, and can be consumed for a long time. Although goji berries have good nourishing and therapeutic effects, they are unsuitable for everyone. Due to its strong warming effect on the body, it is best not to eat it for those experiencing colds, fever, inflammation, or diarrhoea.

• hawthorn
  

Traditional Chinese medicine believes that hawthorn has the effects of eliminating accumulation and resolving stagnation, astringent and stopping dysentery, promoting blood circulation and resolving stasis. Indications include delayed diet, fullness of the chest, diaphragm, and spleen, hernia, blood stasis, and amenorrhea. Hawthorn contains medicinal components such as terpenoids and flavonoids, which have significant vasodilation and antihypertensive effects. It enhances the myocardium, combating arrhythmia, and regulates blood lipids and cholesterol content. Scope of application: It is edible for the general public. Children, the elderly, and indigestion are particularly suitable for consumption. People with colds, indigestion, loss of appetite, cartilage calcium deficiency in children, and iron deficiency anaemia can eat more hawthorn slices.