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Any abnormality in digesting food or lack of proper digestion is termed as indigestion. It refers to variety of gastrointestinal complaints, ranging from gas (belching or flatulence) to stomach upset. Common indigestion signs and symptoms are fullness, early satiety, nausea, vomiting, belching, bloating, ulcer, diarrhoea, dyspepsia and some other associated temporary discomforts or long lasting disorders. Treatment options are many which include change in food, drinks, lifestyle, synthetic medication, etc. But amongst all, the one by complementary and alternative medicines (CAMs), especially the time-tested phytotherapeutic traditional herbal remedies is gaining significance and reliance. Herbal medicinal plants and drugs therefrom are arguably the oldest forms of healthcare recognized to humanity and have been used by all cultures throughout history. Plants contain phytochemicals having specific as well as holistic biological functions, which may have a significant role in the treatment and prevention of various digestive disorders. The present review will address the indigestion issue as a common and universal discomfort to human being around the globe and also the magical healing options by some medicinal plants and herbals. With the remarkable surge of and reliance to the so-called CAM, it is imperative that the present and future researchers be aware of both the potential risks as well as the benefits of using herbal medicine in their cutting-edge exercise in the days ahead.

Spices not only help imparting taste, flavour, aroma and colour but also act as a preservative by preventing the spoilage of various food and beverage products. They are huge reservoir of essential oils and aromatic constituents which are of great demand in pharmaceutical and cosmetic industries, both in national and international trade. They also possess nutritional, antimicrobial, antioxidant and pharmaceutical properties and, hence, regarded as one of the most functionally important food ingredients. Efforts are, therefore, directed towards enhancing area, increasing productivity and improving quality of spices. However, in today’s scenario, real challenges confronting us not only on how to sustain the productivity of spices but also on how to minimize their losses. Post harvest management of spices appears to be more crucial here. Most of the freshly harvested spices are very high in their moisture content, highly perishable and susceptible to microbial contamination. Steps like harvesting at optimum stage, proper transportation to processing units, cleaning, blanching, treating with recommended chemicals, dehydration, packaging and storage or processing leading those to value added products etc. are very much crucial so far as reduction of post harvest losses are concerned. The irony is that due to lack of proper knowledge, awareness and improper technology dissemination, the post-harvest management, especially in the developing countries is still not up to the mark. Therefore it is necessary to process the spices by exploiting both classical and innovative post-harvest technology to ensure their long term preservation and optimum utilization.

India is known as “The Home of Spices”. No Indian meal is considered complete without the tangy and delectable flavor of Indian Spices, locally known as “Masala”. Indian spices are famous all over the world for their gastronic value to possess high medicinal values. Specialized commodity trading is gaining momentum in many parts of India. Vast export potential exists in India for fresh and different processed products of vegetables. Among vegetables, onion contributes the largest exportable commodities in India. India ranks third in export of fresh onion, next to Netherlands and Spain in the world and export of fresh onion from India is channelized through NAFED. Major importers of fresh onion from India are Gulf countries, Malaysia, Singapore, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. Fresh onion export from India shares 8.98% of the total export earnings from agriculture sector in 2014–15. Garlic has been exporting from India for many years to the major importing countries like Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Zambia, UAF, Bahrain, Mauritius, Kuwait, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. The export has been ranging between 2 and 3 per cent of the total domestic production. The quantum of export of garlic has been fluctuating due to sudden change in the policy of garlic importing countries. Varieties having bigger cloves have great demand in the international market. In Europe and North America chilli is consumed as an important vegetable in diets but it is considered as a spice product in international trade. The mild and or non-pungent dried powder or oleoresin having a brilliant red colour is common in the international spice trade. The chilli powder and oleoresin contains mixture of capsaicin, capsanthin and capsorubin. It is now widely used to replace artificial food colourants. India is the largest exporter of chillies, meeting nearly half of the world’s consumption demand. Chilli is the largest spice item exported from India in terms of volume and occupies second position in terms of value.

Food and nutrition have not only been contributed by biological production through its cultivation and husbandry, it reflects the history and tradition of a nation as well. India has historically been one of the world’s prominent sites for the origin and husbandry of a good score of spices which transcends history nation and culture since time immemorial. The suitability of ecological configuration and meteorological behaviour, the Indian diaspora have carried it forward not only to support her cultural tradition but also to meet up both therapeutic and culinary requirements of spices. From mythology to history, from history to the modern political economy, spices have got a beautiful and aromatic continuity across nations and cultures. The quality of food and its palatability, the nutritive value of food and its therapeutics are nicely contributed by spices. The geospatial distribution in India encompasses hill terrains to rain forest, coastal ecosystem to semi-arid agro-ecology, moist forest ecosystem to rice-based agro-ecosystem in alluvial lands. Spices have got a well-pervading role for integrating ecological diversity and cultural mellifluence. This chapter is designed to keep on unveiling the following aspects of spices in India: history, literature, geospatial distribution over India, the cultural aroma and its socio-economic uniqueness for supporting macro-economy as well as community livelihood generation process.

From mythology to modernity, spices are the most flavoring part of life and civilization. Its geospatial distribution, adaptive biodiversity and ethno-cultural integrity have offered us huge scope and opportunity from extracting genes of medicinal property to isolating molecular cluster to combat global warming and climate change. Conservation of spices biodiversity, value addition and processing, community stewardships, IPR and biodiversity registrars, connectivity with fiscal and global markets through operating supply chains, and application of GIS can add buoyancy and belligerence as well. A well designed research plan and well-visioned future strategy can help higher and wider socialization of spices through adaptive mass awareness. The country like India has to harness the process of controlled and hi-tech production and to set aside the cliches of production in a natural set-up.