Spices form an important ingredient of food as well as herbal teas in India. Indian spices such as Cloves and ginger are famous all over the world for their natural aroma, flavor, taste and medicinal value. Due to the therapeutic uses of these spices, they are commonly used as herbal tea ingredients in India. since these spices serve as raw materials in the preparation of herbal teas in India, they should be free from contaminants.

Exim Bank's latest study titled 'Vanilla and its Potential in India" observed that with certain policy intervention by Government of India and with more and more private and public partnership, India can emerge as significant player in the global vanilla industry.

Vanilla is a climbing terrestrial orchid grown in warm humid tropics. It is the second most expensive flavouring spice after saffron. Vanilla planifolia is the commercially grown variety. Growing of vanilla beans is quite complicated and labour intensive and its processing is a slow process requiring skills.

Although most cases of childhood lead poisoning are caused by contaminated paint and dust in older homes, a variety of unusual sources of lead exposure are occasionally found. We report here 2 families whose children were poisoned by lead-contaminated spices that were purchased in foreign countries, brought to the United States, and then used in the preparation of the family

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The very high prices of vanilla over the past few years have stimulated interest in this small-holder crop. Naturally, this has led to an increase in plantings in the traditional supply areas and in new origins. However, the subsequent sharp fall in demand, and the simultaneous collapse of prices, from over $500/kg to under $50/kg, has left the sector in turmoil; euphoria

At its request, Spices Board was permitted to undertake development of vanilla and is engaged in this endeavour to add another item to the spice export basket. It has only few exclusive vanilla related programmes and they are supply of subsidized planting materials and on farm curing aids.

Having known the export potential of vanilla Spices Board during IX plan took up a programme to popularize the crop in Kerala and Karnataka. As a result by the end of the plan period about 320 hectares were brought under cultivation. The programme was extended with a targeted area of 5000 hectares for the X plan.

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An Elglish translation has been made exactly 300 years after the Hortus Malabricus was written, new, sinister designs seem to lurking behind it biopiracy

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