Source: http://www.moondragon.org/health/nutritionbasics/herbs/vanilla.html
Timestamp: 2019-04-19 10:53:10+00:00

Document:
Vanilla, also know as Vanilla planifolia, is a common flavoring used in foods and a scent used in candles, air fresheners, perfumes, and many other commercial products. Vanilla Bean is also known as Vanilla planifolia, Vanilla, Sweet Bean and Vanilla Pods.
Vanilla may easily be one of the most well-known flavors in the world. Vanilla is derived from the ripened fruit of tropical orchids of the genus Vanilla, primarily from the Mexican species, flat-leaved vanilla (V. planifolia). Vanilla planifolia, the only orchid in the world that produces an edible fruit. In the wild, vanilla vines (which attach themselves to living trees) may grow to a length of 80 feet or more.The word vanilla, derived from the diminutive of the Spanish word vaina, meaning sheath or pod, simply translates as a little pod. Pre-Columbian Mesoamerican people cultivated the vine of the vanilla orcid, called tlilxochitl by the Aztecs, and Spanish conquistador Hernan Cortez is credited with introducing both vanilla and chocolate to Europe in the 1520s.
Most people cannot imagine their lives without vanilla. Were it not for Cortez invading Mexico in 1519, we would never know the sweet flavor and healing properties of Vanilla. Cortez discovered the Aztec emperor, Montezuma, and his court drinking xocolatl, an exotic beverage containing Vanilla, chocolate, and honey, and it soon became a part of this conquistador's booty. Impressed, he took sacks of vanilla beans back to Europe with him along with the gold and gems of the defeated Aztec empire. For the next few hundred years, attempts to cultivate the vanilla orchid outside Mexico and Central America proved futile, until a 12 year old French slave discovered how to hand-pollinate the plant in 1841.
Initial attempts to cultivate vanilla outside Mexico and Central America proved futile because of the symbiotic relationship between the vanilla orchid and its natural pollinator, the local species of Melipona bee. Pollination is required to set the fruit from which the flavoring is derived. In 1837, Belgian botanist Charles François Antoine Morren discovered this fact and pioneered a method of artificially pollinating the plant. The method proved financially unworkable and was not deployed commercially. In 1841, Edmond Albius, a slave who lived on the French island of Reunion in the Indian Ocean, discovered at the age of 12 that the plant could be hand-pollinated. Hand-pollination allowed global cultivation of the plant.
Even so, the bulk of the world's supply of vanilla today is provided by only a handful of countries (primarily Madagascar, Mexico and Tahiti), and the process of producing its precious fruit - the world's costliest spice after saffron - is a lengthy and painstaking one. Vanilla orchids bloom only for a day or less, and during that time they must be hand-pollinated. Even after the plant has produced its pods, they must be checked daily because each pod ripens at a different rate and must be harvested before it fully opens or the taste will be ruined. After harvest, the pods go through an elaborate process of being killed, sweated, dried, and conditioned in order to maximize the vanilla flavor and fragrance.
Three major species of vanilla currently are grown globally, all of which derive from a species originally found in Mesoamerica, including parts of modern-day Mexico. The various subspecies are Vanilla planifolia (syn. V. fragrans), grown on Madagascar, Reunion, and other tropical areas along the Indian Ocean; V. tahitensis, grown in the South Pacific; and V. pompona, found in the West Indies, and Central and South America. The majority of the world's vanilla is the V. planifolia species, more commonly known as Bourbon vanilla or Madagascar vanilla, which is produced in Madagascar and neighboring islands in the southwestern Indian Ocean, and in Indonesia. Leptotes bicolor is used in the same way in South America.
Vanilla is the second most expensive spice after saffron, because growing the vanilla seed pods is labor-intensive. Despite the expense, vanilla is highly valued for its flavor, which author Frederic Rosengarten, Jr. described in The Book of Spices as "pure, spicy, and delicate"; he called its complex floral aroma a "peculiar bouquet". As a result, vanilla is widely used in both commercial and domestic baking, perfume manufacture and aromatherapy.
The main species harvested for vanilla is Vanilla planifolia. Although it is native to Mexico, it is now widely grown throughout the tropics. Indonesia and Madagascar are the world's largest producers. Additional sources include Vanilla pompona and Vanilla tahitiensis (grown in Niue and Tahiti), although the vanillin content of these species is much less than Vanilla planifolia.
The distinctively flavored compounds are found in the fruit, which results from the pollination of the flower. One flower produces one fruit. V. planifolia flowers are hermaphroditic: They carry both male (anther) and female (stigma) organs; however, to avoid self-pollination, a membrane separates those organs. The flowers can be naturally pollinated only by bees of the Melipona genus found in Mexico (abeja de monte or mountain bee). This bee provided Mexico with a 300-year-long monopoly on vanilla production, from the time it was first discovered by Europeans. The first vanilla orchid to flower in Europe was in the London collection of the Honorable Charles Greville in 1806. Cuttings from that plant went to Netherlands and Paris, from which the French first transplanted the vines to their overseas colonies. The vines would grow, but would not fruit outside Mexico. Growers tried to bring this bee into other growing locales, to no avail. The only way to produce fruits without the bees is artificial pollination. And today, even in Mexico, hand pollination is used extensively.
In 1836, botanist Charles François Antoine Morren was drinking coffee on a patio in Papantla (in Veracruz, Mexico) and noticed black bees flying around the vanilla flowers next to his table. He watched their actions closely as they would land and work their way under a flap inside the flower, transferring pollen in the process. Within hours, the flowers closed and several days later, Morren noticed vanilla pods beginning to form. Morren immediately began experimenting with hand pollination. A few years later in 1841, a simple and efficient artificial hand-pollination method was developed by a 12-year-old slave named Edmond Albius on Reunion, a method still used today. Using a beveled sliver of bamboo, an agricultural worker lifts the membrane separating the anther and the stigma, then, using the thumb, transfers the pollinia from the anther to the stigma. The flower, self-pollinated, will then produce a fruit. The vanilla flower lasts about one day, sometimes less, so growers have to inspect their plantations every day for open flowers, a labor-intensive task.
The fruit, a seed capsule, if left on the plant, will ripen and open at the end; as it dries, the phenolic compounds crystallize, giving the fruits a diamond-dusted appearance, which the French call givre (hoarfrost). It will then release the distinctive vanilla smell. The fruit contains tiny, flavorless seeds. In dishes prepared with whole natural vanilla, these seeds are recognizable as black specks.
Like other orchids' seeds, vanilla seeds will not germinate without the presence of certain mycorrhizal fungi. Instead, growers reproduce the plant by cutting: they remove sections of the vine with six or more leaf nodes, a root opposite each leaf. The two lower leaves are removed, and this area is buried in loose soil at the base of a support. The remaining upper roots will cling to the support, and often grow down into the soil. Growth is rapid under good conditions.
Bourbon vanilla or Bourbon-Madagascar vanilla, produced from V. planifolia plants introduced from the Americas, is the term used for vanilla from Indian Ocean islands such as Madagascar, the Comoros, and Reunion, formerly the Île Bourbon. It is also used to describe the distinctive vanilla flavor derived from V. planifolia grown successfully in tropical countries such as India. Mexican vanilla, made from the native V. planifolia, is produced in much less quantity and marketed as the vanilla from the land of its origin. Vanilla sold in tourist markets around Mexico is sometimes not actual vanilla extract, but is mixed with an extract of the tonka bean, which contains coumarin. Tonka bean extract smells and tastes like vanilla, but coumarin has been shown to cause liver damage in lab animals and is banned in food in the US by the Food and Drug Administration since 1954.
Tahitian vanilla is the name for vanilla from French Polynesia, made with the V. tahitiensis strain. Genetic analysis shows this species is possibly a cultivar from a hybrid-cross of V. planifolia and V. odorata. The species was introduced by French Admiral François Alphonse Hamelin to French Polynesia from the Philippines, where it was introduced from Guatemala by the Manila Galleon trade.
West Indian vanilla is made from the V. pompona strain grown in the Caribbean and Central and South America.
The term French vanilla is often used to designate preparations with a strong vanilla aroma, containing vanilla grains and sometimes also containing eggs (especially egg yolks). The appellation originates from the French style of making vanilla ice cream with a custard base, using vanilla pods, cream, and egg yolks. Inclusion of vanilla varietals from any of the former French dependencies or overseas France noted for their exports may in fact be a part of the flavoring, though it may often be coincidental. Alternatively, French vanilla is taken to refer to a vanilla-custard flavor. Syrup labeled as French vanilla may include custard, hazelnut, caramel or butterscotch flavors in addition to vanilla.
Most artificial vanilla products contain vanillin, which can be produced synthetically from lignin, a natural polymer found in wood. Most synthetic vanillin is a byproduct from the pulp used in papermaking, in which the lignin is broken down using sulfites or sulfates. However, vanillin is only one of 171 identified aromatic components of real vanilla fruits. The orchid species Leptotes bicolor is used as a natural vanilla replacement in Paraguay and southern Brazil.
Nonplant vanilla flavoring: In the United States, castoreum, the exudate from the castor sacs of mature beavers, has been approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as a food additive, often referenced simply as a "natural flavoring" in the product's list of ingredients. It is commonly used in both food and beverages, especially as vanilla and raspberry flavoring. It is also used to flavor some cigarettes and in perfume-making.
Vanilla essential oil is actually an oleoresin, a combination of essential oil and resin. Vanilla oil should not be mistaken for Vanilla extract, which is made by soaking Vanilla beand in alcohol and is used to flavor food. Instead, the essential oil is obtained from cured ripe pods of an orchid native to Mexico and Tahiti, Vanilla planifolia. This exotic plant grows to a height of 12 feet with clusters of large, white or pale yellow flowers and long seed pods. The rich, sweet fragrance is a popular scent, likely because of its association with childhood and "comfort" foods, such as ice cream, cake, and cookies. It aroma can, therefore, ease nervous tension, frustration and irritation, promote restful sleep and induce relaxation. Due to its ability to nourish dry, itchy skin and dull hair, Vanilla oil is often added to lotion, bath oil and shampoo.
It is said that Vanilla exhilarates the brain, helps prevent sleep, increases muscular energy, and stimulates the sexual drive.
Taken as an infusion, it has been used to treat hysteria, rheumatism, and low fevers. Vanilla is also used in perfumery, and as a flavoring in tinctures, syrups, ointments, confectionery, and many other products.
Once fully cured, the vanilla fruits are sorted by quality and graded. Several vanilla fruit grading systems are in use. Each country which produces vanilla has its own grading system, and individual vendors, in turn, sometimes use their own criteria for describing the quality of the fruits they offer for sale. In general, vanilla fruit grade is based on the length, appearance (color, sheen, presence of any splits, presence of blemishes), and moisture content of the fruit. Whole, dark, plump and oily pods that are visually attractive, with no blemishes, and that have a higher moisture content are graded most highly. Such pods are particularly prized by chefs for their appearance and can be featured in gourmet dishes. Beans that show localized signs of disease or other physical defects are cut to remove the blemishes; the shorter fragments left are called "cuts" and are assigned lower grades, as are fruits with lower moisture contents. Lower-grade fruits tend to be favored for uses in which the appearance is not as important, such as in the production of vanilla flavoring extract and in the fragrance industry. Higher-grade fruits command higher prices in the market. However, because grade is so dependent on visual appearance and moisture content, fruits with the highest grade do not necessarily contain the highest concentration of characteristic flavor molecules such as vanillin, and are not necessarily the most flavorful.
Moisture content varies among sources cited.
A simplified alternative grading syste has been proposed for classifying vanilla fruits suitable for use in cooking.
Grade A / Grade I 15 cm and longer, 100 to 120 fruits per pound Also called "Gourmet" or "Prime". 30 to 35% moisture content.
Grade B / Grade II 10 to 15 cm, 140 to 160 fruits per pound Also called "Extract fruits" 15 to 25% moisture content.
Powder (ground pods, kept pure or blended with sugar, starch, or other ingredients).
Extract (in alcoholic or occasionally glycerol solution; both pure and imitation forms of vanilla contain at least 35% alcohol).
Vanilla sugar, a pre-packaged mix of sugar and vanilla extract.
Vanilla flavoring in food may be achieved by adding vanilla extract or by cooking vanilla pods in the liquid preparation. A stronger aroma may be attained if the pods are split in two, exposing more of a pod's surface area to the liquid. In this case, the pods' seeds are mixed into the preparation. Natural vanilla gives a brown or yellow color to preparations, depending on the concentration. Good-quality vanilla has a strong aromatic flavor, but food with small amounts of low-quality vanilla or artificial vanilla-like flavorings are far more common, since true vanilla is much more expensive.
A major use of vanilla is in flavoring ice cream. The most common flavor of ice cream is vanilla, and thus most people consider it to be the "default" flavor. By analogy, the term "vanilla" is sometimes used as a synonym for "plain". Although vanilla is a prized flavoring agent on its own, it is also used to enhance the flavor of other substances, to which its own flavor is often complementary, such as chocolate, custard, caramel, coffee, cakes, and others.
The food industry uses methyl and ethyl vanillin. Ethyl vanillin is more expensive, but has a stronger note. Cook's Illustrated ran several taste tests pitting vanilla against vanillin in baked goods and other applications, and, to the consternation of the magazine editors, tasters could not differentiate the flavor of vanillin from vanilla; however, for the case of vanilla ice cream, natural vanilla won out. A more recent and thorough test by the same group produced a more interesting variety of results; namely, high-quality artificial vanilla flavoring is best for cookies, while high-quality real vanilla is very slightly better for cakes and significantly better for unheated or lightly heated foods.
Vanilla comes in various forms and is an ingredient in numerous products. Store vanilla beans in an airtight container in a cool, dark space along with your other spices. The deepest vanilla flavor is found in the seeds, the dark, sticky pulp inside the bean. Once you’ve extracted the seeds, there are a few ways to use them and the scraped pod: Infuse a liquid with the bean and seeds. Drop the seeds and the scraped pod into warm liquid, such as scalded milk or cream, and leave them to infuse for at least 30 minutes and up to an hour. Strain the pod from the liquid (the tiny specks of vanilla seeds will remain). Use the flavored liquid for your recipe. Add the scraped seeds directly to a batter. For example, add the seeds to the butter and sugar before creaming when making cookies. Add a small piece of a split bean (no need to scrape first) to a savory stew at the beginning of cooking. This is especially good in rich shellfish dishes or highly spiced meat dishes. A 2-inch piece of vanilla bean (halved and scraped) equals about 1 teaspoon of pure vanilla extract.
Vanilla Essential Oil products are used as scents in candles and for aromatherapy purposes. For best results, read and follow product label directions.
Vanilla is generally regarded as safe for use as a flavoring and medicine when taken in the recommended doses.
For medical use, safety in young children, pregnant or nursing women, or those with severe liver or kidney disease is not known.
When purchasing Vanilla oil, be sure to use one of the pure vanilla oleoresins and not one of the many available imitations. In addition, the majority of Vanilla essential oils are extracted using various chemical solvents, such as hexane, which is quite toxic. This is why it is very dangerous to confuse Vanilla oleoresins with vanilla extracts, which are used in cookery.
This lusciously flavored tea contains all of the benefits of regular Rooibos but with a rich and delightful organic Vanilla flavor and Vanilla beans. The aroma and flavor of this tea is sure to excite the senses unlike any other. Certified organic and without caffeine.
Starwest Botanicals: Bourbon Vanilla Beans, Whole, 1/4 lb.
Starwest Botanicals: Vanilla Beans, Whole, Organic, 1/4 lb.
Starwest Botanicals: Bourbon Vanilla Beans, Whole, 1 lb.
Starwest Botanicals: Vanilla Beans, Whole, Organic, 1 lb.
Starwest Botanicals: Vanilla Bean Powder, Organic, 4 oz.
Starwest Botanicals: Vanilla Extract Powder, 1 lb.
Starwest Botanicals: Vanilla Extract Powder, Organic, 1 lb.
Starwest Botanicals: Vanilla Flavor Extract, 4 fl. oz.
Starwest Botanicals: Vanilla Flavor Extract, Organic, 4 fl. oz.
Starwest Botanicals: Vanilla Escentual French Fragrance Oil, 1/4 oz.
Starwest Botanicals: Vanilla Escentual French Fragrance Oil, 4 oz.
Starwest Botanicals: Vanilla Escentual French Massage Oil, 4 oz.
Whole vanilla beans, rather than extract, will impart the purest, most intense vanilla flavor to your recipes. The best-quality, Vanilla planifolia, comes from Mexico, Madagascar, and Indonesia. Vanilla planifolia is native to Central America, where it is still grown commercially.
Use vanilla beans to add pure vanilla flavor to any of your recipes. Cut the bean and use a portion at a time or you can use the whole bean, depending on the strength of vanilla flavor you desire. Cut your bean on a cutting board laying flat. Hold one end of the bean and carefully slice it open lengthwise, which you will see thousands of tiny seeds exposed. Cutting the bean open before placing it in a liquid exposes more of the surface of the bean, which will create a stronger vanilla flavoring. Each case consists of twelve 2.7 gram vials.
There are approximately 20 vanilla bean pods per quarter pound. Whole vanilla beans, rather than extract, will impart the purest, most intense vanilla flavor to your recipes. The best-quality, Vanilla planifolia, comes from Mexico, Madagascar, and Indonesia. Vanilla planifolia is native to Central America, where it is still grown commercially. The closely related Vanilla tahitensis, Tahiti vanilla, is native to Oceania.
Use these vanilla beans to add pure vanilla flavor to any of your recipes. You can cut the bean and use a portion at a time or you can use the whole bean, depending on the strength of vanilla flavor you desire. To cut open a bean, lay it flat on a cutting surface. Holding one end of the bean and carefully slice it open lengthwise. When you separate the bean, thousands of tiny seeds are exposed. By cutting the bean open before placing it in a liquid, more of the surface of the bean is exposed, which will create a stronger vanilla flavoring. Each case consists of four, eight ounce vials.
There are approximately 90 vanilla bean pods per pound. Whole vanilla beans, rather than extract, will impart the purest, most intense vanilla flavor to your recipes. The best-quality, Vanilla planifolia, comes from Mexico, Madagascar, and Indonesia. Vanilla planifolia is native to Central America, where it is still grown commercially.
The flavor of natural vanilla beans is what gives this dip mix its smooth, sweet flavor. Use this versatile mix to create a simple dip for fruit, pretzels, graham crackers and pound cake or use it to create a number of other desserts like sky high vanilla cream pie, vanilla bean smoothies, natural vanilla bean ice cream and much more! Each case consists of 5 pounds.
Vanilla Bean Ice Cream is made with three different types of vanilla, including bits of real vanilla beans. This traditional treat has a flavor so rich and creamy that you won't need to put any toppings on it! Try using this mix to help create four quarts of sweet and creamy vanilla ice cream every time you make it. Each case consists of ten pounds.
Vanilla Bean Instant Pudding has a smooth texture and rich vanilla bean flavor that makes a delicious dessert your whole family will love! Simply add milk, blend well, chill and serve - or top with whipped cream for an extra sweet treat!
Note: These merchants have many more Vanilla flavored and Vanilla scented products available.
Vanilla essential oil is a rich, dark oil. It is a great mate to spicy scents, jasmine or ylang ylang. Vanilla makes a good base scent for perfuming. A base note in perfumery it's warm, soothing scent, calms emotions, eases tension, and helps with anger. Vanilla essential oil is actually an oleoresin, a combination of essential oil and resin. Vanilla's oleoresin is extracted by beans' soaking dried and crushered in the ethylic alcohol pure at 99%. After settling and filtration, a total evaporation of alcohol will be done at given temperature, and under pression. This extraction process permit to pick up the eavy compounds such as resins, waxes, gums, fatty compounds but also the olatils and aromatics compounds. The rich, sweet fragrance is a popular scent, likely because of its association with childhood and comfort foods, such as ice cream, cookies and cake. Its aroma can, therefore, ease nervous tension, frustration and irritation, promote restful sleep and induce relaxation. Due to its ability to nourish dry, itchy skin and dull hair, vanilla oil is often added to lotion, bath oil and shampoo. The oil's primary component, vanillin, makes it a relaxing additive in aromatherapy lamps and baths. Its nostalgic scent promotes self-confidence, sensuality and restful dreams. In addition, its moisturizing property soothes dry, irritated skin. Avoid in Pregnancy (induces menstruation) and with babies and children. Useful for imparting a fixative or resinous quality to a hand made incense, for example, as it would help bind ingredients. Calming, reduces stress; promotes a restful sleep; encourages dreaming; mood uplifting, aphrodisiac. Essential and resin oils are volatile, fragrant materials extracted from the root, bark, wood, seed, fruit, leaf or flower of a single plant. Essential oils contain the odor, taste and medicinal properties of the plant itself, but in very concentrated form, with no base oil, alcohol, water or dilutants added. Steam distillation and cold pressing are used to extract the essential oil from the plant.
Starwest Botanicals: Vanilla French Escentual Fragrance Oil, 1/4 fl. oz.
Starwest Botanicals: Vanilla Oleoresin Essential Oil, 1/3 fl. oz.
Starwest Botanicals: Vanilla Oleoresin Essential Oil, 4 fl. oz.
Starwest Botanicals: Vanilla French Escentual Massage Oil, 4 fl. oz.
Starwest Botanicals: Vanilla French Escentual Fragrance Oil, 4 fl. oz.
HerbsPro: Vanilla Sunshine Perfume Oil, Sunshine Herbal Oils, 0.25 fl. oz.
HerbsPro: Vanilla Absolute, Precious Essentials Oil With Jojoba Oil, Aura Cacia, 0.5 fl. oz.
HerbsPro: Natural Vanilla Oil In Jojoba Oil, Now Foods, 1 fl. oz.
HerbsPro: Vanilla Massage Oil, Aura Cacia Precious Essentials, 4 fl. oz.
100% pure essential oil pre-blended with skin-nourishing jojoba oil. Use as a natural perfume to calm and comfort the mind and spirit. Dab onto dry skin to soothe and nourish. The rich, sweet fragrance is a popular scent, likely because of its association with childhood and ''comfort'' foods, such as ice cream, cookies and cake. Its aroma can, therefore, ease nervous tension, frustration and irritation, promote restful sleep and induce relaxation. Due to its ability to nourish dry, itchy skin and dull hair, vanilla oil is often added to lotion, bath oil and shampoo. The oil's primary component, vanillin, makes it a relaxing additive in aromatherapy lamps and baths. Its nostalgic scent promotes self-confidence, sensuality and restful dreams. In addition, its moisturizing property soothes dry, irritated skin. Avoid in Pregnancy (induces menstruation) and with babies and children. Calming, reduces stress; promotes a restful sleep; encourages dreaming; mood uplifting, aphrodisiac.
Amazon: Natural Vanilla In Jojoba Oil, NOW Foods, 1 fl. oz.

References: V. 
 V. 
 V. 
 V. 
 V. 
 V. 
 V. 
 V. 
 V. 
 V. 
 V. 
 V.