Herbs and spices?

[rawfoodistdavid]

Are herbs and ground spices generally raw or should you seek out raw versions?

I'm talking tumeric, cumin, cloves, corriandar, basil, oregano, etc. etc.

I'm loving making raw curries but wonder about my spices - are they raw?

[tanishamarshall]

I bet most are not raw as some are irradiated and have other not so great chemicals added. I don't get to caught up in how raw my spices are but I am working on changing to all organic spices.

[petaltothemetal]

I agree with the last post. Organic is the way to go since it's hard to find "raw" labels. Organic does not allow irradiation. And when you think about it, how many spices do you use for say, a batch of curry? a couple tablespoons? If you go organic if you do find the occasional toasted spice, you're probably still 99% raw.

[Raw Yogini]

Me, too. I don't worry about the spice issue (it's one of the reasons I don't call myself 100% raw) but I'm working towards all organic spices also. Best wishes.

[Eva]

I have a bunch of spices that actually say "non irradiated" -- I think this means they are indeed raw. I did not realize that organic = no irradiation allowed. That's great.

Most USA grocery stores do not seem to have spices that are not irradiated; they all just seem to have a couple versions of McCormicks and maybe a couple other options.

So, that to say, if you really seek it out and go out of your way, you can find most spices "raw" and then they should last awhile, so at least it's not every day that you're going to such an effort. No matter what, though -- even if it says whatever it says on the package -- we can't control or know for sure what happens to anything in a package. We can do our best and make whatever choices work best for us.

I *do* have some spices that don't say anything about anything and are probably not on the "good" list. I don't want to seem like a purist here, just doing my best! :)

[saxmaam]

I've been able to sprout and/or grow quite a few whole spices that I've bought from bulkfoods.com. For example, celery, cilantro (coriander seed), and dill. I'm not suggesting that you use these for your garden since they aren't the culinary versions of the plants. My point is that if the seeds will grow, they must be raw.

[rawfoodistdavid]

I shan't worry too much about my spices then. Most recently purchased ones are definitely organic, though. To my shame I'm not sure what the status of irradiated food is in the UK. A few years back the EU were trying to resists import of irradiated foods from the US.

[Veganforlife]

One has to pick and choose their raw battles. I use www.mountainroseherbs.com which is a small company and they are organic. Don't know if they are heat treated above 105, but 'ya know? I use such a little bit, it's not gonna make or break me...

[ALICIA21]

Are herbs and ground spices generally raw or should you seek out raw versions?

I'm talking tumeric, cumin, cloves, corriandar, basil, oregano, etc. etc.

I'm loving making raw curries but wonder about my spices - are they raw?

I would recommend experimenting.

[rawstrength]

I use only organic spices or spices with labels that say "not irradiated". I'm not concerned about having a tiny pinch of a nonraw spice, but I definitely don't want irradiated spices.
Spices are extremely health for you, especially cinnamon, turmeric, cayenne pepper and cloves. Spices are rich in anti-oxidants, they kill parasites in your food and in your digestive tract, they aid in digestion and they taste great to boot. I wouldn't recommend cutting out spices just because you're not sure if they are raw or not. You could end up doing more harm than good by cutting out the spices!