The range of medicinal herbs and spices 113
7.1 Introduction
Medicinal herbs and spices have been important to human life for thousands of years.
There is evidence for herbs, especially spices, being used by humans in the Middle
East since 5000 BC. It is estimated that approximately 400 spices are used around the
world, although only about 70 spices are officially recognized^8. In the past decade,
demand has increased for medicinal herbs and spices and their derived products for
a variety of functions, such as herbal medicine, food flavorings, and cosmetics in the
forms of tea, tablet, capsule, tincture, cream, syrup, and liquid. The worldwide herbal
industry is now estimated to be more than US$10 billion dollars and increasing at a
rate of three to four percent annually for reasons of increased consumption in processed
foods and demand for ethnic foods, natural fragrances, and innovation in beverage
products53,54.
The largest markets, in terms of manufacturing and consumption, are in Europe,
followed by Asia. World production and processing of medicinal herbs and spices
remains concentrated in France and India. The North American market continues to
be supplied by imports where quality and consistency of supply are in question^54.
Recently, Canada has become more active in the international herb and spice
marketplace. Special crops production, including mustard, caraway, coriander seeds,
and other herbs, has more than quadrupled since 1991–1992 as producers diversified
into alternative crops to improve their income^52.
The properties of medicinal herbs and spices sometimes overlap. Medicinal herbs
can be defined as plants which have health-promoting and curative properties. Spices
are plants that are fragrant or aromatic and pungent to the taste from seeds, leaves,
root, bark and flowers, and are used as food, food additives, flavorings, or to preserve
food42,63 via their antimicrobial properties^88. Spices are important medicines and it
has been speculated that more humans use spices as medicines than use prescription
pharmaceuticals^89.
Many spices contain chemical components that have therapeutic value (Table 7.1)
such as antioxidant and antiseptic activities, singlet oxygen quenching, cytochrome
7 The range of medicinal herbs and spices.............................................
T. S. C. Li, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Pacific Agri-Food
Research Centre, Canada