**6. Conclusion**

India's vegetation is rich with many spices and condiments species on which various occupations are dependent. Since ancient India's food was very popular for its taste and fragrance in the world, therefore it became a point of attraction for many explorers or traders for coming to India. Spice & condiments are an essential part of our daily life from the morning with tea or herbal beverages to a good night drink with turmeric milk. They play the biggest role in the nourishment and refreshment of the body. The ancient literature also reveals that dried parts of the plant are very popular for their use to cure various types of diseases beyond enhancing the taste of food. Unique phytochemical compounds found in particular spices not only enhances the taste of food but also helps to enhance the nutrients present in vegetables or fruits or other food preparation in which they are used, beyond this goodness they are also helpful to suppress the worse effect of another chemical in our body. They strongly fight bacterial and viral infections and make our immune system healthy. Some spices are very popular in the world for their use in every culinary and medicinal practice to cure diseases. The specific phytochemicals such as curcumin in turmeric, piperine in black pepper, gingerol in ginger, eugenol in clove, eugenol, and cinnamaldehyde in cinnamon, linalool in coriander, cuminaldehyde in cumin, diosgenin in fenugreek, thymol in carom seeds and murrayacine in curry leaves possess antioxidant, anticancer, anti-inflammatory, anti-diabetic, anti-mutagenic, anti-microbial, anti-arthritic,

and hypoglycemic activities against many diseases. Our farmers are very intelligent and they know every particular effect of these spices on health and they are using them for ages but the over-chemical fertilizer use in the cultivation of these nutraceutical crops reduce their nutritional qualities and that is the biggest reason, they are notable to fight against all the diseases. Another biggest reason is food adulteration, which is a severe problem nowadays with many food supplements. The common adulterants of spices such as sand, dirt, earth gritty matter, artificial color, starch, chalk powder, bark, and papaya seeds are used to increase the quantity of various powder spices. These adulterants degrade the quality of spices and can lead to serious health complications. The safest way to avoid adulterated spices is to purchase raw spices and otherwise fully packed approved spice powders. Promote organic cultivation to retain the nutraceutical values of plants and create awareness among the farmers about harmful chemical effects. Proper planning and intensive research should be initiated for the conservation of spices & condiments for future health.
