534 
India  s  Spices  and  Condiments. 
(  Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
I  November,  1907. 
are  indispensable,  and  in  their  production  India  has  always  been 
noted,  if  not  preeminent,  her  ports  having  been  resorted  to  by  the 
nations  of  the  West  from  prehistoric  times  in  search  of  these  com- 
modities. India  possesses  a  very  large  export  trade  in  spices,  which 
amounted  last  year  in  pounds  to  11,008,000,  and  in  value  to  about 
$46,666,665.  This  does  not  include  cutch  and  turmeric,  which  al- 
though used  in  India  as  spices  are  exported  mainly  for  industrial 
purposes.  Cutch  is  used  for  tanning  and  dyeing,  but  is  also  used  as 
a  drug,  especially  in  America.  In  India  it  is  used  as  an  ingredient 
in  the  mixture  of  betel  nut,  which  the  natives  are  so  fond  of  chew- 
ing.  Turmeric  is  a  handsome  herbaceous  plant  that  is  cultivated  all 
over  India,  its  yellowish  tubers  producing  a  yellow  powder  used  by 
natives  to  some  extent  as  a  condiment,  but  which  is  most  valuable 
as  a  chemical  to  detect  the  presence  of  alkalies.  Cutch  is  produced 
largely  in  Bengal,  Bombay,  Madras  Province,  and  in  Burma,  and 
from  which  places  the  average  annual  exports  amount  to  221,986 
pounds,  valued  at  $1,111,335.  Of  this  the  United  States  takes  on 
an  average  about  70,000  pounds. 
CARDAMOM  AND   THE  BETEL  NUT. 
Both  the  greater  and  lesser  cardamom,  which  are  natives  of  Nepal, 
grow  all  over  India  where  cultivated,  and  are  much  used  in  the  pre- 
paration of  sweetmeats  by  the  natives  on  account  of  their  cheapness. 
They  are  also  used  as  ingredients  of  the  pan  or  betel  leaf  prepara- 
tion. Lesser  cardamom  grows  wild  in  the  mountains  of  southern 
India.  It  is  considered  as  the  most  valuable  of  all  the  Indian 
condiments.  The  natives  use  it  for  flavoring  purposes,  and  also  for 
pan. 
The  betel  nut  is  also  called  areca,  and,  while  a  native  of  China, 
it  grows  throughout  tropical  India.  It  is  indispensable  in  the  pre- 
paration  of  pan,  and  is  probably  the  most  popular  nut  with  the  native 
that  grows  in  India.  Everywhere  on  streets  of  India's  cities  one 
will  see  women  squatted  down  mixing  betel  nut  or  pan,  and  offering 
it  for  sale  to  the  passers-by.  The  mixture  consists  of  betel  nut, 
cinnamon,  cardamom,  and  catechu  in  certain  proportions  wrapped 
up  in  a  leaf  of  the  betel  tree.  The  "  wad  "  is  put  into  the  mouth 
by  the  natives  much  as  the  old-time  tobacco  chewer  put  the  "cud  " 
into  his  mouth,  and  they  chew  it  much  in  the  same  way.  The  effect 
is  stimulating  to  the  nerves,  and  stains  the  lips  and  tongue  a  deep 
