Many Thai herbs & spices have both
food and medicinal properties. With a proper processing and
preservation method, some herbs & spices could be processed
into herbal medicine. Once a medicine, consumer must take
a precaution not to over-use the dosage. Although herbs &
spices seems to have a milder effect than modern medicine,
when dosages are compared, herbal medicine could be as harmful
if over-dosed.
The part of herbs & spices plant used
is one way to determine whether it has a medicinal or food
property. For example, ginger has several medicinal properties,
while it could also be used in cooking and beverage mixing.
|
Type
|
Food Properties
|
Medicinal
Properties
|
| Bael Fruit |
Eaten fresh as fruit, mixed into refreshing drinks,
used as flavoring in curry pastes |
anti-diarrhoeal, digestant |
| Basil |
Flavoring herb in stir-fried dishes and
pan-fried noodles |
Carminative, diaphoretic, expectorant, and
stomachic |
| Chilli |
Gives a spicy flavor |
Stomachic, carminative, anti-flatulence agent, and digestant |
| Cumin |
Yellow coloring and flavoring in curry dishes |
Stomachic, bitter tonic, carminative, stimulant, and
astringent |
| Garlic |
Flavoring condiment |
Anti-microbial, diaphoretic, diuretic, expectorant,
antiflatulence, and cholesterol lowering agent |
| Ginger |
Food flavoring and spice in soup, stir-fried, and pan-fried
dishes |
Carminative, anti-nauseant, and anti-flatulence agent |
| Galanga |
Food flavoring and spice in soup, stirfried, and pan-fried
dishes |
Carminative, stomachic, anti-rheumatic, and anti-microbial
agents |
| Kaffir Lime |
Leaves and juice for flavoring in soup and curry dishes |
Appetizer and cough relieves |
| Finger Root |
Food flavoring and spice for curry dishes |
Relieves stomachahe, anti-microbial properties, anti-tussive
and anti-flatulence agent |
| Hog Plum |
Eaten fresh as fruit,
appetizer; used as an ingredient in vegetable dips |
Reduces ear pain / thirst / stomachache,
nourishes heart, refreshes throat, cures dental bleeding,
heals dysentery / disabled stomach |
| Lemon Grass |
Flavoring spice in hot & spicy soup,
stir-fried, and pan-fried dishes |
Diurectic, emmanagogue, anti-flatulence,
anti-flu, and anti-microbial agent |
| Lime |
Sour flavor agent, garnish |
Anti-flammatory, appetizer, anti-flu, anti-tussive,
anti-flatulence, anti-microbial agent, relieves sore throat |
| Mint |
Flovoring herb in stir-fried dishes, could
be eaten raw |
Carminative, mild anti-septic, diaphoretic,
and digestant properties |
| Pepper |
Pungeant and aromatic flavoring to soup,
stir-fried, pan-fried dishes |
Carminative, anti-pyretic, diaphorectic,
and diuretic agents |
| Pineapple |
Eaten fresh as fruit, juice and fruit used
in stir-fried an curry dishes |
expectorant, cough relief, reduces kidney
stones |
| Shallot |
Pungeant flavoring spice
for Thai salad, soup, and vegetable dips |
Alleviates stomach discomfort, anti-helmintic,
anti-diarrhoeal, expectorant, anti-tussive, diuretic,
and anti-flu agent |
| Sugar Apple |
Eaten as fresh fruit, mixed in ice-cream
/ desserts |
Cures skin diseases / scabies / leprosy |
| Sweet Basil |
Flavoring herb in stir-fried dishes and
Thai salad |
Carminative, diaphoretic, expectorant, digestant,
and stomachic agent |
| Turmeric |
Yellowing coloring and flavoring
in Thai curry dishes |
Carminative, anti-flatulence,
and stomachic agent |
