Spotted by its rough-edged leaves and star-shaped flowers, Buchu is harvested from the dried leaves of three kinds of Buchu Barosma plants. It's a herb native to the fynbos family of South Africa’s Cape region. Fynbos refers to the myriad of plants grown along this stretch of mountainous land. ...

Shallots are an extremely well recognised part of folk medicine native to Asia as well as being a versatile ingredient. They are closely related to onions as you've probably guessed, and share some similarities with garlic. If you love onions and would never dare to pick up a shallot, let me see if ...

Lion's mane mushroom, or the bearded hedgehog, is a medicinal, parasitic fungus found in North America, China, Japan and Europe. With the most common species being Hericium erinaceus, this mushroom comes under the 'nootropic' (i.e., smart drug and cognitive accelerator) group of foods having been ...

Milk thistle seeds are one of nature's most powerful detoxifiers. All parts of the Silybum marianum plant are able to be used, however the seeds are the most medicinally valuable, having been used as a herbal remedy for liver disorders for over 2,000 years. The name 'milk thistle' comes from the ...

Using dried sumac for its deep tangy, lemon-tasting flavour is becoming more and more popular in the culinary world, moving outside of its Middle Eastern roots. Added to a number of meat, rice, spice mixes and meze dishes, or even used as a whole fruit to make sumac-ade, this spice is a tasty ...

Though there is no precise place of origin, with common names such as ‘Chinese’, ‘Korean’, and ‘Indian date’, it is fair to assume that the ‘ziziphus jujuba’ or simply the ‘jujube’ originated in Asia. The richly coloured red fruit is symbolic of fertility in Korea, where it is thrown at the skirt ...

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 ...