A LITERARY REVIEW ON THE HEALTH BENEFITS OF THE INDIAN FIVE SPICE BLEND OR “PANCH PHORON” BASED ON AYURVEDIC CLASSICAL TEXTS

Abstract

The green ecology around us is surrounded by various types of plants. India houses a wide variety of plants possessing medicinal properties which are known to us while some are yet to be discovered and used so that the human mankind need not be dependent on artificial and toxic chemicals. All over the world spices are used to flavour the food. These spices comprise different parts of the plant like seeds, bark, root, etc. They not only add flavour to the food but also act as a preservative and has immense health benefits too. Panch Phoron is a mixture of five spices- Cumin seeds (Jeeraka), Fennel seeds (Mishreya), Fenugreek seeds (Methika), Nigella seeds (Upakunchika) and Mustard seeds (Sarshapa). It is widely used in Eastern part of India on a daily basis for adding flavours to the food. Each individual ingredient in itself is benefi-cial for us. Ayurveda has a holistic approach. It believes in organic way of treatment by eliminating the toxins and balancing the Tridosha. The review aspires to scientifically validate the vast traditional use of this spice in the Eastern cuisine and its immense scope in herbal therapeutics.