Produced primarily in china, the walnut is the ‘drupe’ or stone fruit of the walnut tree. A drupe is identified as a fleshy fruit that surrounds a stone or pit containing a seed, the seeds of the walnut fruit are the shelled walnuts that can be purchased from supermarkets. The most common varieties ...

This historically popular seed, anise, also known as aniseed and anise seed, is the true anise, Pimpinella anisum, which is not to be confused with the unrelated star anise. The plant is native to Asia, particularly China (news has come to light about the Japanese sources being potentially toxic, ...

The often forgotten half of the classic salt and pepper pairing, black pepper has some impressive health benefits. Originating in India, a peppercorn is actually a dried fruit from the black pepper plant, and is sold either in peppercorn form or ground down into a powder. As the world’s most traded ...

Maca root, or lepidium meyenii, is a biennial plant (meaning it takes two years to complete its biological lifecycle) hailing from the high altitude regions of Peru and Bolivia. Although a member of the cruciferous family, maca is a root vegetable similar to the radish or turnip family, but grows ...

Saffron, otherwise known as ‘Kesar’ in Hindi is a prized condiment and by far the most  expensive spice in the world.  It is native to Southern Europe's Crocus sativus plant and renowned globally for its culinary and medicinal characteristics. Its distinct flavour comes from its innate chemical ...

Our sweet but prickly pal the pineapple, a tropical plant and member of the Bromeliaceae family, is native to Paraguay, Brazil and potentially regions of the Caribbean. It was first brought to Europe subsequent to Columbus’ return in 1493. The name 'pineapple' matured in the 17th century thanks to ...

Buckwheat is a pseudo grain - it has grain-like properties but is not a grain. Also, it has no relation to wheat as the name suggests. In Europe, countries like Poland, Lithuania and Ukraine are large producers of buckwheat. Similarly, Russia, the United States and China are main global buckwheat ...

The past few years have seen the well-known 'superfood' Spirulina continue to rise in popularity, and with good reason. Spirulina was a food source for the Aztecs in Mexico, with records of it yielding from Lake Texcoco as described by one of Cortés' soldiers. It is a form of bacteria known as ...

Based in Glastonbury, Somerset and founded in 2004, Indigo Herbs has been serving its customers with ethical, natural and vegan friendly nutritional supplements for the past thirteen years and with affordability at their core, they’ve made it their mission to make health and well-being accessible ...

Though generally considered to be a typical Indian spice, the Indonesian-originated clove is not only an enticingly aromatic addition to masala tea or biryani, but an often overlooked antioxidant-rich flower bud. Part of the Myrtaceae family, responsible for other medicinally enriched botanicals ...