TIME LINE ON TRADE ROUTES AND CONTROL OF SPICES

 

Biblical to Classical Period (300 BC - 476 AD):

 

Through their traditional trade routes and communications to the Orient, Arab merchants had nearly exclusive control over the purchase and transport of spices.

 

About 40 AD, the Greek merchant , Hippalus, realized the winds over the Indian Ocean were seasonal, or monsoonal. Between April and October winds blew from northwest to southeast and reversed between October and April.

 

Romans develop armada of ships, regularize trade, and break Arab domination of the Indian market.

 

476 AD Romulus Augustulus deposed and end of the Roman Empire.

 

Dark Ages (476 - 1095)

 

Crusades (1095 to ca. 1300)

 

European Spice Trade:

Marco Polo returned to Venice in 1297

 

1418 Exploratory Voyages and navigational research sponsored by Prince Henry of Portugal

 

1486 Diaz of Portugal rounds the Cape of Good Hope

 

1492 Columbus sails to the New World

 

1493 Pope Alexander VI divides the world between Spain and Portugal

 

1494 Treaty of Tordesillas

 

1498 Vasco de Gamma reaches India by sailing around Africa

 

1522 Circumnavigation of the world (Magellan, Spain)

 

1588 Destruction of the Spanish armada

 

Early in the 17th century, Holland drives Portuguese from the Spice Islands. By 1621 Holland has world control of the nutmeg and clove business.

 

1824 -- After a long period of fighting the Dutch and English concluded a treaty in which the Dutch retain the East Indian Archipelago (except for the northern part of Borneo) and the English keep India, Ceylon and the Malay peninsula. These empires were to last, virtually intact, for the next nearly 125 years.

 

The United States -- The U.S. was an active participant in the spice trade, especially pepper, from about 1778 until the beginning of the Civil War in 1861

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Peppers

Scoville Units for some familiar peppers

0 Bell, Sweet Peppers, Pimento

100-1000 Anaheim, New Mexico

1000-1500 Ancho, Cherry

1500-2500 Cascabel, Rocotillo

2500-5000 Jalapeno

5000-15,000 Serrano

30,000-50,000 Cayenne, Tobasco

50,000-100,000 Thai

100,000-300,000 Habanero

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Some Common Essential Oils for Aromatherapy:

 

Plant --------- Use

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Geranium --- Dermatitis, relaxation, depression

Lavender --- Antiseptic, respiratory infections, relaxation

Juniper --- Antiseptic, relaxation, aches & pains

Pine --- Asthma, arthritis, depression

Rosemary --- Bronchitis, depression, mental alertness

Ginger --- Bronchitis, arthritis, stimulant

Frankincense --- Coughing, bronchitis

Eucalyptus --- Anti-inflammatory, arthritis, relaxation

Marjoram --- Respiratory infections, relaxation

Mint --- Relaxation