Vanilla is one of the oldest and one of the most expensive spices as well as one of the most familiar

Vanilla is one of the oldest and one of the most expensive spices as well as one of the most familiar, but you don’t hear a lot about it’s health benefits. That’s probably because it is more important for its flavouring and aromatic uses.

In modern times, aromatherapy tests were done on different aromas and the one that most men were aroused by was vanilla. There is some controversy over whether this arousal was gastronomic or sexual. Even so, andaman vanilla does have anti-oxidant properties. Yet there are less expensive and more effective means of getting antioxidants (fish oil, omega-3).

While not a lot of testing has been done on vanilla, vanila extract and vanilla bean regarding any specific health benefits, it is classed as a vanilloid along with capsaicin contained in Chile peppers and eugenol contained in cloves - both of which have numerous medicinal properties and health benefits. Some nutritionists have conjectured that vanilla might be a mild help in preventing cancer.