Spice spices. Spices were among the most demanded and expensive products available in Europe in the Middle Ages, the most common being black pepper, cinnamon (and the cheaper alternative cassia), cumin, nutmeg, ginger and cloves. Given medieval medicine's main theory of humorism, spices and herbs were indispensable to balance "humors" in food, a daily basis for good health at a time of recurrent pandemics. In addition to being desired by those using medieval medicine, the European elite also craved spices in the Middle Ages. An example of the European aristocracy's demand for spice comes from the King of Aragon, who invested
Cassia brewsteri Cassia brewsteri Cassia brewsteri, commonly known as Brewster’s Cassia, Leichhardt Bean, Cassia pea and Bean Tree is a species of leguminous shrubs or small trees, of the plant family Fabaceae. They grow naturally in Queensland, Australia. They primarily grow in open forest, and occasionally in monsoon forest. "Cassia brewsteri", as with other Cassia, produces pinnate leaves. In the case of "Cassia brewsteri" the leaflets are approximately 5 cm long, bright green, glossy or waxy above and whitish-green below. Flowers are yellow, often with red markings, and produced in racemes. The flowers are followed by round pods, up to 45 cm