**1. Introduction**

Spices are plant-derived substances and play a crucial role in cooking. They are responsible for bringing out complex and rich flavors of food with their color, taste, aroma and making a cuisine distinct and popular. Without them kitchen looks empty and food gives a feeling of Stone Age. But do these spices just provide aroma or piquancy to food? Or is there any underlying advantage behind their regular consumption with food. Moreover, their usage depends upon habitat, time, and weather conditions. It is evident from both traditional as well as modern literature that vast medicinal properties offered by the spices makes them legendary and a vital part of daily diet. Pharmacological and molecular studies revealed that oils and alkaloids produced by most of the spices possess antimicrobial, anti-parasitic, immune booster, antioxidant and other important biological properties [1–4]. Their antioxidant and bactericidal activities prevents rancidity thereby increasing storage life of food [5]. Turmeric, with curcumin as principle ingredient, has been quite extensively used in the treatment of disorders such as amenorrhea, inflammation, hepatitis, arthritis [6, 7]. Clove, cinnamon, are rich source of antioxidants exhibiting wide range of pharmacological effects [8].

As spices are rich in immunity boosting ingredients, their daily consumption would lead to development of long-lasting immune protection and might maintain safe drug bullets at a certain basal level in blood stream to tackle the infection. Since the outbreak of COVID-19, the first line of defense is body's immune system. Therefore, regular usage of spices not only enhances the body's immunity to fight against the infection but also provides a prophylactic therapy to prevent and minimize the chances of infection. Out of wide variety of spices, pharmaco-potential of some of them has been discussed here.
