10. The Spice Pharmacy

In an Ayurvedic kitchen the spice box is a small pharmacy. Spices kindle agni, help digest heavy foods, reduce gas from pulses, preserve, and balance the doshas — in pinch quantities. They are most effective when whole spices are freshly roasted and ground, and when they are bloomed in ghee or oil, which carries their aromatic compounds into the food.

Figure. Thirty kitchen spices and herbs — warming or cooling, and their effect on each dosha

Spice / herb	Sanskrit	Taste	Potency	Dosha effect	Best culinary use	Notes for 55+ guests
Ajwain (carom)	Yavani	Pungent, bitter	Heating	↓V ↓K ↑P	Arbi, beans, parathas, monsoon dals	Strong digestive for gas; small amounts
Amchur (dry mango)	Amra churna	Sour	Heating	↓V ↑P	Khatta-meetha sabzis, chaat	Avoid in acidity; skip in Pitta season
Asafoetida	Hingu	Pungent	Heating	↓V ↓K ↑P	Every pulse dish; replaces onion–garlic	A pinch fried 5 seconds in ghee; never raw
Bay leaf	Tamalapatra	Sweet, pungent	Heating	↓V ↓K	Pulao, dal, kheer	Remove before serving texture-modified food
Black cumin	Krishna jiraka	Pungent	Heating	↓V ↓K	Pulao, light gravies	Use sparingly
Black pepper	Maricha	Pungent	Heating	↓V ↓K ↑P	Rasam, pongal, golden milk	Crushed, not whole, for elders; mild amounts
Cardamom	Ela	Sweet, pungent	Cooling	Tridoshic	Milk, sweets, tea, rice	Neutralises heaviness of milk and sweets
Cinnamon	Tvak	Sweet, pungent, bitter	Heating	↓V ↓K	Kadha, stews, oats, kheer	True (Ceylon) cinnamon preferred for daily use
Clove	Lavanga	Pungent, bitter	Cooling (by tradition)	↓K ↓P	Whole-spice tempering, kadha	1–2 per dish
Coriander leaf	Dhanyaka patra	Pungent, bitter	Cooling	↓P	Garnish, chutneys	Wash well in salted water
Coriander seed	Dhanyaka	Astringent, bitter, sweet	Cooling (mild)	Tridoshic	Masalas, CCF tea, dhaniya water	A Pitta-friendly base for most masalas
Cumin	Jiraka	Pungent	Cooling (by tradition) / mild	↓V ↓K	Tempering, raita, takra	The most used digestive spice
Curry leaf	Kaidarya / surabhinimba	Bitter, pungent	Cooling	↓P ↓K	Tempering, chutney, buttermilk	Grow in the garden; use fresh
Dill	Shatapushpa	Pungent, bitter	Heating	↓V ↓K	Dal, sabzi	Traditionally used for gas and menstrual comfort
Dry ginger	Shunthi	Pungent	Heating	↓V ↓K	Kadha, sweets, panjiri	Gentler on the gut than fresh ginger; 'universal medicine'
Fennel	Mishreya	Sweet, pungent	Cooling	Tridoshic	Mukhwas, coolers, khatta-meetha	Best digestive for Pitta; after meals
Fenugreek seed	Methika	Bitter	Heating	↓V ↓K ↑P	Kadhi, sambar powder, pickles	Bitter: tiny amounts; supports blood-sugar control
Fresh ginger	Ardraka	Pungent	Heating	↓V ↓K	Every dal, kadha, pre-meal slice	Reduce in acidity and summer
Kalonji (nigella)	Upakunchika	Pungent, bitter	Heating	↓V ↓K	Bengali tempering, breads	Small amounts
Kokum	Vrikshamla	Sour, sweet	Cooling (in practice)	↓V ↓K	Dal, sol kadhi, sharbat	Gentler sour than tamarind
Mint	Pudina	Pungent	Cooling	↓P ↓K	Chutney, coolers, raita	Summer herb
Mustard seed	Sarshapa	Pungent	Heating	↓V ↓K ↑P	South-Indian tempering	Splutter fully; underdone seeds are bitter
Nutmeg	Jatiphala	Pungent	Heating	↓V ↓K	Golden milk, sweets	A tiny pinch only; traditionally for sleep
Long pepper	Pippali	Pungent	Heating (mild vipaka)	↓V ↓K	Kadha, winter soups	Medicinal — very small quantities
Rock salt	Saindhava	Salty	Cooling (mild)	↓V	Fasting days, chaat	Classical best salt; still salt — limit
Saffron	Kumkuma	Bitter, pungent	Heating	Tridoshic	Kheer, milk, festive rice	5–10 strands per dish
Tamarind	Chincha / amlika	Sour	Heating	↓V ↑P ↑K	Sambar, rasam, chutney	Small amounts; kokum for acidity-prone guests
Tulsi	Tulasi	Pungent, bitter	Heating	↓V ↓K	Kadha, teas	Add at the end; do not boil long
Turmeric	Haridra	Bitter, pungent	Heating	Tridoshic	Dal, sabzi, golden milk	With pepper and fat; medical doses only on advice
Lemongrass	Bhustrina	Pungent, bitter	Heating (mild)	↓V ↓K	Teas	Garden-grown

Three house churnas for the three doshas

These blends are sprinkled on rice, dal or vegetables at the table, ½ tsp per serving. Dry-roast seeds separately on low heat until fragrant, cool, grind and store airtight for up to one month.

Vata churna (warming, grounding)	Pitta churna (cooling)	Kapha churna (light, warming)
Cumin 20 g	Coriander seed 30 g	Dry ginger 10 g
Fennel 20 g	Fennel 30 g	Black pepper 5 g
Coriander seed 20 g	Cumin 15 g	Cumin 15 g
Dry ginger 10 g	Cardamom 5 g	Coriander seed 15 g
Ajwain 5 g	Turmeric 5 g	Mustard seed 5 g
Turmeric 5 g	Mishri 15 g	Turmeric 5 g
Hing 1 g (warmed)	Dried mint 3 g	Fenugreek seed 3 g
Rock salt 15 g	Rock salt 5 g	Cinnamon 5 g

Ten rules for spices

Buy whole; grind small batches; aroma is the test of freshness — replace ground spices every 2 months.
Store in airtight, dark containers away from the stove's heat and steam.
Bloom whole seeds first in hot fat; add ground spices after, on lower heat, for 10–20 seconds only.
Hing always meets hot fat before anything watery; raw hing is harsh.
Turmeric with black pepper and fat — absorption improves markedly.
Add delicate herbs (tulsi, mint, coriander) at the end, off the heat.
Dry ginger in sweets and milk; fresh ginger in dals and vegetables.
In Pitta months (May–October) reduce mustard, fenugreek, tamarind and chilli; increase coriander, fennel and cardamom.
In Kapha months (February–April) increase ginger, pepper, mustard and turmeric.
For guests over 55, spices are for digestion and aroma, not heat: a mild, fragrant dish is the goal.